What bodily function uses the most calories?

[_Riley_]

So like I know that throughout the day your today uses wuite a but of calories to keep you alive but I'm curious which of those functions takes the most energy. Keeping your brain fed, keeping your heart pumping, etc.. 

Just curious ??

 

Thank you!

[Volbet]

That would depend on what you do in a day.

But generally the brain is the single biggest consumer of calories in the human body.

I believe the brain, on average, consume about 20% of the body's energy, or about 400 calories a day, but don't quote me on that.

 

But if you're a long distance runner, then I would imagine that one of the greater thigh muscles would become the biggest consumer.

 

Edit: 

Found it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2980962/

Overall the brain is the largest consumer of energy (with a total of 292.91 calories/day), closely followed by the liver (with 252.98 calories/day). On a weight/power scale, the heart and the kidneys are the largest consumers of energy (with 440 calories pr. kg/day). 

[ARikozuM]

It's either your brain, heart, or your legs. If you're looking to lose weight, start working everything out. Read a book on multiple worlds theory while you lift weights and run a marathon. You'll either have a great workout or not depending on what universe you're in. 

[Drak3]

17 minutes ago, Volbet said:

don't quote me on that.

I do what I want.

17 minutes ago, Volbet said:

believe the brain, on average, consume about 20% of the body's energy

You'd be correct. 

 

3 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Read a book on multiple worlds theory while you lift weights and run a marathon

That's my favorite hypothesis!

 

Well, outside of ones revolving arou d FNAF and Mario.

4 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

You'll either have a great workout or not depending on what universe you're in.

My favorite universe is the one where Multiverses don't exist.

[Volbet]

3 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

I do what I want.

You're a rebel. I like that in you.

[ARikozuM]

10 minutes ago, Volbet said:

You're a rebel. I like that in you.

We're apparently in the "someone likes @Drak3" multiverse. 

[Chaos_Sorcerer]

I believe it's your brain, since I've heard many times that it was an incredibly expensive evolutionary investment due to how much energy it consumed in comparison to the benefits it initially provided. 

[PlayStation 2]

my answer is too nsfw for this forum

[LAwLz]

Your liver uses the most energy if we look at the basal metabolic rate (how much energy your body uses just to function). 

The liver is somewhere north of 25% of the energy consumed, and the brain is slightly below 20%.

[handymanshandle]

57 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

my answer is too nsfw for this forum

[reply]

[Guest]

Your brain uses the most energy, however it does not utilise fatty acids due to low blood perfusion. Your brain uses glucose and ketone bodies as fuel.

Your brain has a lot to do, and regulates many of your bodily functions. 

2 hours ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

my answer is too nsfw for this forum

Thats quite correct. If you are looking for what processes, then sex will burn the most energy. 

 

You can effectively measure energy production as proportional to oxygen consumption and hence, blood flow. 

Attached is a diagram so you can compare. As you can see the brain gets the most blood flow, however skeletal muscle increases during exercise. Remember the size of the organs, you have more muscle mass than brain matter, so effectively the brain would get a larger percentage.

[spellmanuk]

completely non scientific and possibly coincidental but according to my apple watch i once burned 50 calories pooping that was a proud day although i probably should of eaten more fibre 

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, valdyrgramr said:

Depends on various factors like activity, genetics, if you even have that part, and more.   Sitting all day or laying all day is called being sedentary which burns like no calories at all.  Technically, iirc, cardio burns the most.  I usually burn anywhere from 1200-2400 k calories a day leaving my body to burn the remaining 1300-1500 on its own. I think, but not sure it is true, the brain can burn as much as 20 percent of your daily calories, I think, the stomach burns a lot too, and so does the heart.  But, you also have to factor in metabolism too.

Hold on a minute, you're saying:

1. You consume ~2500-3900 calories per day, and

2. You exert enough physical activity to burn 1200-2400 of those calories?

 

You realize that's the equivalent of running either a half marathon (21 km) or a full marathon (42 km) every day?

 

I have to assume there's a miscommunication here.

[DildorTheDecent]

1 hour ago, peej said:

completely non scientific and possibly coincidental but according to my apple watch i once burned 50 calories pooping that was a proud day although i probably should of eaten more fibre 

Depending on how much effort your putting into the poop I wouldn't doubt 50 calories.

 

Eat some all bran too.

[ARikozuM]

2 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Hold on a minute, you're saying:

1. You consume ~2500-3900 calories per day, and

2. You exert enough physical activity to burn 1200-2400 of those calories?

 

You realize that's the equivalent of running either a half marathon (21 km) or a full marathon (42 km) every day?

 

I have to assume there's a miscommunication here.

It would depend on his/her body weight, average metabolic rate, and his pace.

I eat well in excess of 2500 Cal/day, over five or six meals, and run 5 miles every other day while still maintaining my 200 Lb weight. 

There's not enough information to draw proper conclusions. 

1 minute ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Depending on how much effort your putting into the poop I wouldn't doubt 50 calories.

Enough to make a spirit bomb. 

 

2 minutes ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Eat some all bran too.

"People of Earth, lend me your energy"

[captain_to_fire]

7 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

If you're looking to lose weight

 

[Guest]

22 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

It's either your brain, heart, or your legs. If you're looking to lose weight, start working everything out. Read a book on multiple worlds theory while you lift weights and run a marathon. You'll either have a great workout or not depending on what universe you're in. 

Like that one scene from death note where L says to misa “I find that with mental stimulation, it doesn’t matter how many calories you consume as your mind burns it off.” (I wish I could have found a video clip) 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, VegetableStu said:

is this why i keep eating cookies ,_,

I'm wondering if people that can "eat whatever they want & not get fat" don't have a high metabolism but instead are just thinking more than people that get fat easily. 

Now I feel like I'm calling fat people stupid...

[LAwLz]

14 hours ago, fpo said:

I'm wondering if people that can "eat whatever they want & not get fat" don't have a high metabolism but instead are just thinking more than people that get fat easily. 

Now I feel like I'm calling fat people stupid...

That's not the case though.

The basal metabolic rate doesn't vary that much when comparing people in similar groups (age, sex and weight).

 

The reason why some people can "eat whatever they want and not get fat" is because they naturally eat fairly well.

The reason why some people can eat "next to nothing" and still gain weight is because they suck at actually counting what they are eating.

 

Actually, people in general are extremely bad at estimating how much or how little they are eating.

The whole thing about "fast" or "slow" metabolism is an excuse people come up with when they simply fail to properly estimate how much they have eaten. It is a real phenomenon, but it's extremely rare to have so fast or so slow that it actually makes any meaningful impact.

 

At the end of the day, our bodies has to follow the laws of thermodynamics.

[Amazonsucks]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

That's not the case though.

The basal metabolic rate doesn't vary that much when comparing people in similar groups (age, sex and weight).

 

The reason why some people can "eat whatever they want and not get fat" is because they naturally eat fairly well.

The reason why some people can eat "next to nothing" and still gain weight is because they suck at actually counting what they are eating.

 

Actually, people in general are extremely bad at estimating how much or how little they are eating.

The whole thing about "fast" or "slow" metabolism is an excuse people come up with when they simply fail to properly estimate how much they have eaten. It is a real phenomenon, but it's extremely rare to have so fast or so slow that it actually makes any meaningful impact.

 

At the end of the day, our bodies has to follow the laws of thermodynamics.

Eating well includes taking care of your microbiome, which helps use the food you eat correctly. Microbiome imbalances are associated with all kinds of illnesses, including obesity.

[LAwLz]

1 hour ago, Amazonsucks said:

Eating well includes taking care of your microbiome, which helps use the food you eat correctly. Microbiome imbalances are associated with all kinds of illnesses, including obesity.

The research on that is very inconclusive right now. At best there have been observations that obese people can have decreased Bacteroidetes and increased Firmicutes, but that may be the result of obesity and lousy eating habits, rather than the cause.

That is to say, being fat can lead to gut microbiome imbalance, but there is no solid evidence that microbiome imbalance will make you fat.

[Froody129]

If no one else is going to say it I will

 

Sex burns a flying shit ton of calories.

[Guest]

@LAwLz explains why my brother is thicker. He’d always eat tons of candy & I was never a huge fan of it. 

 

Physics does a lot more for explaining things than I considered. I’ll bring this up next time I see my friend majoring in it & see what he thinks. Thanks!!!! 

[TVwazhere]

Quote

What bodily function uses the most calories?

Guitar Hero: Dragonforce - Through the Fire and the Flames 1 hour edition

[Okjoek]

Banging?