Metabolism: meaning, function, and possible disturbances

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Definition

What is metabolism?

You may be familiar with the word metabolism. Every living thing can function and survive thanks to the metabolic processes in the body. This is an essential process that the body needs to survive.

Metabolism is the process of processing nutrients from food that have been absorbed by the body to be converted into energy. Energy is then used in all bodily functions, from breathing, thinking, growing, to your every movement during your daily activities.

This process consists of a series of complex chemical reactions that occur in the cells of the body. Each chemical reaction works simultaneously to keep cells healthy and functioning. The chemical reactions that occur are adjusted to each organ in the body.

Metabolism and energy linkages

What is the link between metabolism and energy?

One thing that is very closely related to metabolism is calories. Simply put, the calories in food show how much energy you will get from eating that food.

For example, the calories of one slice of fried chicken are about 240 kcal, while the calories of an apple are about 50 kcal. This means that your body will get more energy if you eat chicken instead of apples.

When you eat chicken or apples, that's about the amount of energy you will get from metabolic processes. Your body will use up this energy to carry out basic functions, including during rest.

This energy depletion process has been known as "burning calories". Even without activity, your body actually burns calories or energy to survive.

The more and more strenuous your physical activity, the greater the energy consumed (number of calories burned). Meanwhile, if you rarely do physical activity, excess energy will accumulate in the form of fat deposits.

Different metabolism and digestion

What is the difference between metabolism and digestion?

Metabolism is part of the digestive process, but they are different. Digestion is defined as a process that is carried out by the body to process and break down food into nutrients. This process takes place in the digestive organs.

Meanwhile, metabolism can occur in various body cells which are controlled by special proteins. The process of forming this energy has even started when you were first formed in the womb and will stop when you die.

If sorted, the food you consume will be digested into nutrients in your mouth, stomach and intestines. After that, nutrients such as carbohydrates will be absorbed into the cells. The nutrients are then metabolized in the cells to be converted into energy.

Types of energy metabolism

How is energy processing in the body?

Metabolism is the basic process that every living thing experiences. In fact, animals and plants also undergo the same process in order to function normally.

In humans, this process works in two ways, namely catabolism and anabolism.

1. Catabolism

Catabolism is the process of breaking down nutrients into energy. For example, carbohydrates from rice that you eat will be broken down into glucose. Glucose is then carried by the blood and circulated to every cell of your body.

Once inside the cell, glucose is broken down again in a series of chemical reactions generate energy. This is known as catabolism.

The energy from catabolism can then be used in various body functions.

2. Anabolism

Anabolism is the process of forming new molecules to carry out bodily functions. This process occurs when the body repairs damaged tissue, produces hormones, and so on. Anabolism will spending energy.

The energy used by the body to carry out anabolism comes from catabolism. Various substances in the cell will be collected, then formed into a new substance that can be used by the body to carry out its functions.

Factors affecting metabolic rate

What are the factors that affect the body's energy processing?

The entire metabolic process is regulated by hormones. One of the most important hormones in this process is thyroxine, which is produced by the thyroid gland. Thyroxine determines the rate at which the metabolism occurs in your cells.

The hormones produced by the pancreas also play an important role. Pancreatic hormones regulate when the body needs to carry out catabolism and anabolism. For example, anabolism usually occurs more after you eat and your blood sugar rises.

In addition, here are some other factors that have a lot to do with metabolism.

• Body size and composition. The metabolic rate of muscular or large people is faster because they need a lot of energy.
• Gender. Men usually have greater muscle mass than women so that their energy burns faster.
• Age. Muscle mass decreases with age. This causes the rate of energy burning to also decrease.
• Certain medical conditions. Some people may have medical conditions that affect their metabolic rate.

How to increase metabolic rate

A fast metabolic process does not necessarily make a person healthier than others. It should also be noted that when a person increases their metabolic rate, the term "increase rate" is actually not quite correct.

You can't really control how quickly your body generates energy, but you can burn more calories. This is useful for people who want to lose weight or simply maintain their ideal weight.

If you want to increase your calorie burn rate, here are a few tips you can try.

1. Doing aerobic exercise

This is the most effective exercise for burning calories. To lose weight, do aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes a day five days a week.

Try walking fast, jogging , cycling, or swimming.

2. Doing sports to increase muscle

Muscle burns more calories than fat. Therefore, building muscle mass will help you increase your metabolic rate indirectly.

Types of activities that you can try include high intensity exercise and lifting weights with a barbell.

3. Consuming certain foods and drinks

Several types of food and drink are claimed to increase the metabolic rate. This has not been proven scientifically and may not be a long-term solution.

However, it never hurts to add it in your daily menu. These foods and drinks include:

• foods high in protein, such as chicken, eggs, and nuts,
• spicy and spicy foods,
• green tea and oolong tea,
• black coffee, as well
• energy drink.

Remember to eat and drink in moderation. If you have certain digestive disorders, it's best to avoid anything that can trigger the symptoms. Complete with drinking enough water.

Metabolism and body shape

Metabolism does not determine how thin a person is

There is a popular assumption that a person can get fat because of a slow metabolism. In fact, this is not proven. People who are overweight do not necessarily have a slow metabolism, and vice versa.

That doesn't mean metabolism has nothing to do with body weight. Weight gain can occur when the body is catabolized more than anabolized. This makes the body continue to accumulate energy without using it.

However, the cause of weight gain is actually quite complicated because it is influenced by various factors other than metabolic rate.

An increase in your scale score could be due to environment, hormonal problems, or even some other disturbance.

If you want to have the ideal body weight, the key is still to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Do regular exercise for at least 30 minutes a day and choose foods that are high in fiber, low in calories, and low in bad fats.

Metabolic disorders

Some people may have certain medical conditions that can cause metabolic disorders. Metabolic disorders refer to any disease or condition that is caused by an abnormal chemical reaction in the body's cells.

The cause could be abnormal amounts of enzymes or hormones, or changes in their function. When the body's chemical reactions are inhibited or damaged and a deficiency or buildup of toxic substances can occur and cause serious symptoms.

Here are some forms of metabolic disorders that can occur.

1. Congenital metabolic disorders

Congenital metabolic disorders occur from birth. This condition is quite rare, with the number of cases 1 in every 800 births. Babies born with this disorder may show symptoms such as hormone problems, heart disease, etc.

There are also more common forms of the disorder, such as galactosemia and phenylketonuria. Babies born with galactosemia do not have enough of the enzyme galactose needed to break down sugar in milk.

Meanwhile, phenylketonuria is caused by an abnormality in the enzyme that breaks down the amino acid phenylalanine. This enzyme is necessary for normal growth and protein production.

2. Thyroid disease

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck. Its function is to produce the hormone thyroxine as a regulator of metabolic processes and to maintain the function of various vital organs of the body, especially the heart, brain, muscles and skin.

Thyroid disease occurs when the work of the thyroid gland is impaired, either it becomes underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism).

Hypothyroidism is characterized by a sluggish body, slow heart rate, weight gain, and constipation. Many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism arise because the sufferer's body lacks energy.

Meanwhile, the symptoms of hyperthyroidism are weight loss, high blood pressure, bulging eyes, and swelling in the neck (goiter).

3. Diabetes types 1 and 2

Diabetes or commonly referred to as diabetes is caused by a disturbance in the body's metabolism, to be precise in producing the hormone insulin. This will cause the body to lack insulin so that blood sugar levels become high.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreatic cells are damaged so that they are unable to produce sufficient amounts of the hormone insulin. Meanwhile, type 2 diabetes occurs because the body is unable to respond to insulin properly.

As the condition progresses, this disease can lead to complications. These complications include kidney problems, pain caused by nerve damage, blindness, and heart and blood vessel disease.

Metabolism is a series of chemical processes that occur in body cells to convert nutrients into energy. This energy is what enables the body to carry out its basic functions in order to survive.

The process that the body goes through when metabolizes is different from digestion. However, both of them are inseparable elements.

In order to maintain a normal metabolism, make sure you have a healthy diet and lifestyle.