Catabolism vs. Metabolism

Catabolismnoun

(biochemistry) Destructive metabolism, usually including the release of energy and breakdown of materials.

Catabolismnoun

the breakdown of more complex substances into simpler ones with release of energy, in living organisms; destructive or downward metabolism; - a form of metabolism, opposed to anabolism. See also Disassimilation.

Catabolismnoun

breakdown of more complex substances into simpler ones with release of energy

Catabolismnoun

the breakdown of complex molecules in living organisms to form simpler ones, together with the release of energy; destructive metabolism.

Catabolism

Catabolism () is the set of metabolic pathways that breaks down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release energy or used in other anabolic reactions. Catabolism breaks down large molecules (such as polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins) into smaller units (such as monosaccharides, fatty acids, nucleotides, and amino acids, respectively).

Metabolismnoun

(physiology) The complete set of chemical reactions that occur in living cells.

Metabolismnoun

The act or process, by which living tissues or cells take up and convert into their own proper substance the nutritive material brought to them by the blood, or by which they transform their cell protoplasm into simpler substances, which are fitted either for excretion or for some special purpose, as in the manufacture of the digestive enzymes. Hence, metabolism may be either constructive (anabolism), or destructive (catabolism).

Metabolismnoun

The series of chemical changes which take place in an organism, by means of which food is manufactured and utilized and waste materials are eliminated.

Metabolismnoun

the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals

Metabolismnoun

the organic processes (in a cell or organism) that are necessary for life

Metabolism

Metabolism (, from Greek: μεταβολή metabolē, ) is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main purposes of metabolism are: the conversion of food to energy to run cellular processes; the conversion of food/fuel to building blocks for proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates; and the elimination of metabolic wastes.