Metabolic health has no official scientific definition, but one expert frames it as how well your body's systems work to maximize performance while minimizing chronic disease risk. It's a useful concept even if it's fuzzy, more like how we talk about ultra-processed foods.
What does it mean when you say metabolic health? I have a slow metabolism. You know, what does that mean? I don't burn calories fast. But people don't really understand what metabolic health means.
I think the first thing to acknowledge is there's not a good definition of metabolic health. When we're talking about scientific communication, there are some terms that have very strict definitions and criteria and other terms that are more like porn where you know it when you see it. Another example would be ultra-processed foods. Yeah, really defining that scientifically is difficult, but it's a useful term and heuristic in the public sphere. So I'll just say upfront, I feel like metabolic health is similar. Where it encompasses a lot of things and there's a lot of definitions, but I just wanna be upfront, there is no consensus on what the definition is. With that said, there are different ways to slice it. The way I like to think about it is it's when your body systems are running in a way to optimize performance and minimize risk of chronic disease.
