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Metabolic Handbrake

Meaning

The Metabolic Handbrake is a conceptual term used in clinical physiology to describe a state of significant metabolic deceleration, where the body’s energy expenditure is dramatically reduced, often in disproportionate response to lifestyle interventions. This physiological slowing is frequently mediated by chronic hormonal dysregulation, such as persistent hypercortisolemia from allostatic load, elevated reverse T3 signaling a hypometabolic state, or severe leptin resistance. Clinically, this manifests as an intractable plateau in weight loss or an inability to sustain optimal energy levels, representing a survival mechanism overriding the drive for homeostasis. The handbrake prevents the effective utilization of stored energy reserves.