Metabolism

Define the term: Metabolism

Metabolism is the sum of the chemical reactions that take place within each cell of a living organism and that provide energy for vital processes and for synthesizing new organic material.

Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body needs to accomplish its most basic life-sustaining functions. Those include:

Breathing
Circulation
Nutrient processing
Cell production

Discuss the factors affecting rates of reaction

Factors that can affect the rate of reactions, or metabolism rates are:

Age
Sex
Muscle to fat ratio
Amount of physical activity
Hormone function

Distinguish between anabolic and catabolic reactions

Anabolic reactions:

These are reactions that synthesize larger molecules from smaller constituent parts, using ATP as the energy source for these reactions.

Catabolic reactions:

These are reactions that break down larger molecules to smaller molecules, releasing energy in ATP form.

Compare examples of anabolic and catabolic reactions

The main difference between the two reactions is that:

Anabolic reactions use energy (ATP) to form larger molecules
Catabolic reactions break down large molecules into smaller ones, and as a result, give off energy (ATP) as a product.

An anabolic reaction that occurs in the human body is the combination of monosaccharides to form polysaccharides.

A catabolic reaction in the human body is when proteins are broken down into amino acids.