Metabolic Rate Testing
A breath test tells how many calories you should eat
Are you trying to lose weight? Trying to maintain weight, especially after a weight management program or other nutritional changes? Have you been diagnosed with diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, or other weight-related conditions? Are you interested in improving overall health and fitness?
What it Does
Many factors influence your metabolism, making it unique to you: your weight, age, body composition, hormone levels, and your gender. Regardless of these factors, the MedGem® device measures your resting metabolic rate, or RMR, which is the number of calories the body burns to maintain essential functions such as heart rate, brain activity and breathing.
RMR can represent up to 75 percent of the total metabolism in a person who leads a sedentary lifestyle, and is therefore an important factor in how efficiently calories will be burned off.
How it Works
The machine, which has four sensors, works by measuring the difference between the amount of oxygen inhaled and exhaled. The sensors take into account surrounding air conditions — the pressure, humidity, temperature and oxygen levels — and from that it calculates how much oxygen is used with each breath.
The MedGem measurement is easy to administer and provides accurate results in 10 minutes or less. Accurate VO2 (your maximal rate of oxygen consumption) and RMR are critical to nutrition assessment for successful weight management, improved medical outcomes, improved diabetic control, and overall health and wellness.
Increasing Your Metabolic Rate
Simple ways to increase your metabolism include:
- Not skipping meals
- Not going more than four hours without eating
- Getting plenty of protein in your diet
- Getting adequate sleep
- Increasing movement in your daily life
- Building muscle mass and doing aerobic activity at least three days a week
For an Accurate Test
To get an accurate measurement, before taking the MedGem test, follow these guidelines:
- Do not eat or drink anything other than water for at least 4 hours prior to the test
- Do not exercise (neither aerobic nor strength training) for at least 4 hours prior to the test
- Do not consume caffeine, nutritional supplements, or medications containing ephedra, Ma Huang or pseudoephedrine for at least 4 hours prior to the test
- Do not smoke or use nicotine for at least 1 hour prior to the test
- Sit quietly for 10 to 15 minutes prior to the test
