Major points:
- Metabolism is the basis of all vital processes in your body.
- It includes the buildup (anabolism), breakdown (catabolism), and transport of chemical compounds used for energy production, as well as the buildup of body components such as muscle or nerve fibers.
- Without the metabolism you cannot survive.
Definition of the metabolism
Metabolism is the basis of all vital processes in your body. It includes the formation, breakdown, and transport of chemical compounds. Metabolic processes produce energy and build up body components such as muscle or nerve fibers. Your body’s metabolism is tightly regulated which ensures that everything works smoothly. Without the metabolism, you cannot survive.
Here is a simplified example to give you a better idea: Imagine your body is a car. For the car to function, it needs energy in the form of gasoline. In addition, the car needs to be inspected from time to time. Broken parts are repaired or replaced. If this does not happen, the car will eventually break down and no longer work. Your metabolism is like a super hard-working car mechanic who checks the car 24/7, caring for it lovingly and supplying it with enough energy.
Classification of the metabolism
The word metabolism is an umbrella term for all processes in your body. It can be further subdivided, according to nutrients (e.g. fat metabolism) or according to functions (e.g. energy metabolism). Your metabolism works in two phases: anabolism and catabolism.
Anabolism
To produce energy, your body needs the macronutrients carbohydrates, fats, and protein. When you eat, you ingest these macronutrients and they are broken down into their components by digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract. Carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars, fats into fatty acids, and protein into amino acids. Micronutrients such as vitamins or minerals can be absorbed without prior digestion.
The broken-down macronutrients can reach all the cells of your body via the blood. If your energy intake is greater than your energy consumption, they are reassembled in your cells and stored as energy: Glucose is stored in the form of glycogen in the liver, fatty acids are stored as adipose tissue in the form of fats, and amino acids are reassembled into protein and build muscle mass. The nutrients from your food are thus “metabolized” in the cells of your body, this process is called anabolism.
Catabolism
If your energy intake is lower than your energy consumption, the macronutrients supplied by your food and broken down by digestion are burned to provide vital energy. If not enough macronutrients are supplied via food during a diet or a longer period of hunger, the carbohydrates, fats, and protein stored in the body are converted back into their individual parts. The resulting simple sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids are then used for energy production.
When there is a lack of food, your metabolism, therefore, ensures that the macronutrients stored as body reserves are broken down and supply your body with energy. This process is called catabolism.
What does Neatic recommend concerning the metabolism?
In Neatic, flavors and sweeteners are avoided and sugar is limited. This helps your complex metabolic processes to work undisturbed and prevents obesity. More information about the principles can be found here.
If you want to learn more about the role of flavors, sweeteners, and sugars in obesity, click on the links for more information about these ingredients.
If you want to know more about the role of metabolism in weight loss and whether there really is a slow metabolism, click here.
Bibliography:
Harmjanz, Freya (2021): Biochemie – Energiestoffwechsel. 1. Aufl. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Heinrich, Peter C.; Müller, Matthias; Graeve, Lutz; Koch, Hans-Georg (Hg.) (2022): Löffler/Petrides Biochemie und Pathobiochemie. 10. Aufl. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
StudySmarter (2023): Stoffwechsel: Definition, Überblick & Funktion. Available online at https://www.studysmarter.de/schule/biologie/zellbiologie/stoffwechsel/, last checked 10.01.2023.