Metabolism

Metabolism refers to the complete set of chemical reactions that occur in living cells. These processes are the basis of life, allowing cells to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories catabolic and anabolic. Catabolic reactions yield energy, an example being the breakdown of food in cellular respiration. Anabolic reactions, on the other hand, use this energy to construct components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids.