Why is metabolism something that cannot be greatly increased

Question

I know metabolism can be increased, or at least maintained by weight/ resistance training, proper sleep/diet etc..

But why can’t we just medically increase someone’s metabolism by say 30% (temporarily)?

In: Biology

Answer 1

It can be, there are several drugs that do that. The problem is, most of the energy we burn is for keeping us warm, so you cannot increase the amount you burn without also causing overheating. This is also why it is said that exercise is only effective when you’re sweating, as you would burn the energy anyway to stay warm.