Metabolism - Key terms



ADIPOSE:

Of or relating to animal fat.

AMINO ACIDS:

Organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and (in some cases) sulfur bonded in characteristic formations. Strings of amino acids make up proteins.

ANABOLISM:

The metabolic process by which energy is used to build up complex molecules that the body needs to maintain itself and develop new material.

ATOM:

The smallest particle of an element, consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons. An atom can exist either alone or in combination with other atoms in a molecule.

ATP:

Adenosine triphosphate, an energy carrier formed when a simpler compound, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), combines with a phosphate group.

BLOOD SUGAR:

The glucose in the blood.

CARBOHYDRATES:

Naturally occur ring compounds, consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, whose primary function in the body is to supply energy. Included in the carbohydrate group are sugars, starches, cellulose, and various other substances. Most carbohydrates are produced by green plants in the process of undergoing photosynthesis.

CATABOLISM:

The metabolic process by which large molecules are broken down into smaller ones with the release of energy. Compare with anabolism.

COMPOUND:

A substance in which atoms of more than one element are bond ed chemically to one another.

DIGESTION:

The process of breaking food down into simpler chemical compounds as a means of making the nutrients absorbable by the body or organism.

ENZYME:

A protein material that speeds up chemical reactions in the bodies of plants and animals without itself taking part in, or being consumed by, these reactions.

GLUCOSE:

A monosaccharide (sugar) that occurs widely in nature and which is the form in which animals usually receive carbohydrates. Also known as dextrose, grape sugar, and corn sugar. See also blood sugar.

HYDROCARBON:

Any organic chemical compound whose molecules are madeup of nothing but carbon and hydrogenatoms.

LIPIDS:

Fats and oils, which dissolve in oily or fatty substances but not in water-based liquids. In the body, lipids supply energy in slow-release doses, protect organs from shock and damage, and provide insulation for the body, for instance from toxins.

METABOLIC PATHWAY:

An orderly sequence of reactions, with particular enzymes acting at each step along the way. Metabolic pathways may be either linear or circular, and sometimes they are linked, meaning that the product of one pathway becomes a reactant in another.

METABOLIC POOL:

A group of relatively simple substances (e.g., amino acids) formed by the breakdown of relatively complex nutrients.

METABOLISM:

The chemical process by which nutrients are broken down and converted into energy or are used in the construction of new tissue or other material in the body. All metabolic reactions are either catabolic or anabolic.

MOLECULE:

A group of atoms, usually but not always representing more than one element, joined in a structure. Compounds typically are made up of molecules.

NUTRIENT:

Materials essential to the survival of organisms. They include proteins, carbohydrates, lipids (fats), vitamins, and minerals.

NUTRITION:

The series of processes by which an organism takes in nutrients and makes use of them for its survival, growth, and development. The term nutrition also can refer to the study of nutrients, their consumption, and their use in the organism's body.

ORGANIC:

At one time chemists used the term organic only in reference to living things. Now the word is applied to compounds containing carbon and hydrogen.

PHOSPHATE GROUP:

A group (that is, a combination of atoms from two or more elements that tend to bond with other elements or compounds in certain characteristic ways) that includes a phosphate, or a chemical compound that contains oxygen bonded to phosphorus.

PRODUCT:

A substance or substances formed from the interaction of reactants in a chemical reaction.

PROTEINS:

Large molecules built from long chains of 50 or more amino acids. Proteins serve the functions of promoting normal growth, repairing damaged tissue, contributing to the body's immune system, and making enzymes.

REACTANT:

A substance that interacts with another substance in a chemical reaction, resulting in the formation of a chemical or chemicals known as the product(s).

SUGARS:

One of the three principal types of carbohydrate, along with starches and cellulose. Sugars can be defined as any of various water-soluble carbohydrates of varying sweetness. What we think of as "sugar" (i.e., table sugar) is actually sucrose; "blood sugar," on the other hand, is glucose.

TISSUE:

A group of cells, along with the substances that join them, that forms part of the structural materials in plants oranimals.

User Contributions:

1
Megan
Thank you. Very useful for preparation before I learn the topic in my GCSE Biology lessons.

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: