Library · Physiology
Metabolism
Make it clearer
Metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions that take place inside every cell of the body and supply it with energy.
That energy is spent on two fronts: on vital processes and on building new organic material, that is, on making the body's own parts. And none of those reactions happens on its own: they are all mediated by enzymes, which are proteins.
The energy travels in a common form. The chemical carrier of energy is ATP, and it is produced by the mitochondrion, the part of the cell devoted to that job, using the protons released by catabolic reactions, the ones that take molecules apart. It is a single currency the cell uses to pay for everything it does.
When the two sides fall out of balance, the whole body shows it: an imbalance between anabolism, the building-up side, and catabolism can lead to obesity and cachexia, respectively, with cachexia meaning a marked loss of weight and body mass.
In brief
Metabolism is the sum of all the reactions that take place in every cell and supply the body with energy.
That energy is spent on vital processes and on building new organic material, and enzymes mediate all of these reactions.
The chemical carrier of energy is ATP, which the mitochondrion produces using the protons released by catabolic reactions.
A single currency the cell uses to pay for everything it does.
An imbalance between anabolism and catabolism can lead to obesity and cachexia, respectively.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Metabolism, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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