Men typically burn 500 to 1,000 calories more per day than women, which means they can lose about one to two pounds more than women per week, even if they eat the same amount of calories, says nutritionist Sudhir Kumar, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad (India).
“Men have more lean muscle mass and a higher basal metabolic rate than women. Lean muscle has insulin receptors and burns more calories, so men burn more calories and can lose more fat than women, even at rest,” says Dr. Kumar.
Men have a faster metabolic rate, studies show that this rate can be 3-10% higher than women, says Dr Ushakiran Sisodia, clinical nutritionist at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai.
A slower metabolism in women means that the body uses fewer calories to support normal functions such as breathing, cognition, and blood circulation. Any excess calories are then stored as fat in women, Dr. Sisodia says. This problem is especially severe in postmenopausal women.
“Women have higher levels of estrogen than men, while men have higher levels of testosterone. Estrogen can reduce fat breakdown and encourage fat storage, especially in areas like the hips and thighs. Testosterone, on the other hand, promotes muscle growth and increases metabolic rate, helping men burn fat faster,” explains Sisodia.
According to the American Council on Exercise, an active woman will have an average of 21 – 24% body fat, while a man will have only 14 – 17%.
Dr Sisodia Kumar points out that: “Women tend to store fat in the lower half of their body including the buttocks, hips, lower abdomen and thighs. While men tend to store fat in the abdomen, especially because they have more visceral fat, making men more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases than women.”
Thus, differences in hormones, muscle mass ratio, and several other physiological factors cause women to burn fat more slowly than men.
