Metabolism Explained

Simply put, metabolism is the process by which the body converts food into energy. Another term that you often hear is metabolic process which just another way of saying metabolism so these two terms are interchangeable. In today's weight-conscious environment, metabolism is often mentioned but seldom explained. This article will clarify what metabolism is and what it means to you.

The body needs energy to perform all it's essential functions. Metabolism is how the body transforms what you put into it (food) into the fuel (energy) that it needs to carry out those functions. While we refer to metabolism as if it were a single process, it is actually a harmonizing of two critical bodily processes which seem to oppose each other.

The first part of metabolic functioning is the creation of cells and tissue. Your body is constantly creating more cells to replace dead or dysfunctional cells. This process is called anabolism.

The second part of metabolic functioning is the breaking down of energy so that the body can do what it needs to do. Your body is always using energy so must convert the food that you take in to a usable form of fuel. This process is called catabolism.

As you can see, metabolism is a continuous process that operates two opposite tasks. While anabolism uses energy to create cells, catabolism breaks down cells to create energy. Metabolism is referred to as the harmonizer as it controls the two opposing processes in the most optimal fashion possible.

Everyone knows that there are calories in everything you eat but a lot of you don't understand exactly what a calorie is. A calorie is just a unit of measurement for the energy produced by catabolism. So when you diet and watch your calorie intake, you're really trying to tip the balance from anabolism to catabolism.

When your body takes in a calorie, it must do something with that calorie. It will either metabolize it through anabolism and convert the energy into cells or it will metabolize it through catabolism and use the energy to break cells down. When you take in more calories than your body needs at the time, it will be forced into creating new cells.

Those cells will most often be fat cells. The key is in the types of cells the body already has. Lean muscle uses more energy (calories) than most other types of tissue. The more muscle you have, the more places for extra calories to be used instead of being turned into fat.

Now you know what metabolism is and the difference in how calories are used in anabolism and catabolism. You also know that calorie is just a three syllable word for measurement of energy from food. You can use this information to help you make healthier decisions about the foods you choose. You can make the body catabolize those calories by building lean muscle or decreasing your calorie intake. Remember, the body will use any calories you give it...good or bad. The choice is up to you.