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By Mayo Clinic Staff

Some people worry that their weight is caused by the way their body breaks down food into energy, also known as metabolism. They think their metabolism is too slow. But is that really the cause? If so, is it possible to speed up the process?

It's true that the rate the body breaks down food is linked to weight. But slow metabolism isn't usually the cause of weight gain.

Metabolism does help affect how much energy a body needs. But weight depends on how much a person eats and drinks combined with physical activity.