Metabolism

Metabolism is the means by which the body derives energy and synthesizes the other molecules it needs from the fats, carbohydrates and proteins we eat as food, by enzymatic reactions helped by minerals and vitamins.

What is Anabolism?

Anabolism is the process by which the body utilizes the energy released by catabolism to synthesize complex molecules. These complex molecules are then utilized to form cellular structures that are formed from small and simple precursors that act as building blocks.

Xenobiotics and Redox Metabolism

An Overview of Nucleotide Metabolism

Metabolism Investigation and Manipulation

Metabolism Energy Transformations

What are Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Enzymes?

Metabolism Thermodynamics

Metabolism History

Metabolism Control

Metabolism Evolution

Metabolism Key Biochemicals

Metabolism Catabolism

See more featured articles »

What are Coenzymes?

Gibbs Free Energy and Metabolism

What is Metabolism?

Science of Metabolism

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Most clinical trials fail to reflect America’s racial and ethnic diversity

A new study finds just 6% of clinical trials used to approve new drugs in the U.S. reflect the country's racial and ethnic makeup, with an increasing trend of trials underrepresenting Black and Hispanic individuals.

12 Dec 2025

Scientists outline how organ rejuvenation strategies could solve the donor shortage

Researchers outline why organs from older donors are often discarded and identify the biological and immunological pathways that make them vulnerable to injury. They also highlight emerging rejuvenation technologies including machine perfusion, senotherapeutics, and regenerative strategies that could safely expand the donor pool.

11 Dec 2025

What happens to your body when you eat takeaway food too often?

This study of 8,556 US adults shows that frequent takeaway food consumption is associated with a higher energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index and adverse cardiometabolic markers. The findings suggest that reducing takeaway intake and lowering dietary inflammatory potential may improve long-term cardiometabolic health.

11 Dec 2025

Study offers insight into how coffee and tea intake may influence bone health in older women

A new study from Flinders University offers insight into how two of the world's most popular beverages, coffee and tea, may influence bone health in older women.

11 Dec 2025

Psoriasis caused by changes in the fat metabolism of skin cells

A research team led by Erwin F. Wagner from the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism that contributes to the development of psoriasis - and at the same time represents a potential biomarker for a new treatment concept.

11 Dec 2025

What happens to your body during an ultramarathon? New study reveals key metabolic changes

This study tracked ultramarathon runners across 100 km, 160.9 km, and 230 km events to examine real-world metabolic, hormonal, and muscle stress responses. Severe energy deficits, muscle damage, and heterogeneous hormonal shifts were observed, with the greatest strain seen in the 230 km distance.

10 Dec 2025

Dietary restriction boosts antitumour immunity by rewiring T cell metabolism

Dietary restriction reshapes CD8+ T cell metabolism by increasing ketone body–driven acetyl-CoA production, preventing terminal exhaustion and enhancing tumour control in mice. This metabolic reprogramming also boosts responsiveness to PD-1 blockade, suggesting a potential strategy to improve cancer immunotherapy.

10 Dec 2025

Why the form of vitamin B12 you take may matter more than your intake

This comprehensive review examines vitamin B12 absorption, physiological roles, deficiency states, and dietary sources, with particular attention to differences between natural and synthetic forms. The authors conclude that while all B12 forms raise circulating levels, methylcobalamin may offer advantages in specific clinical contexts, especially where absorption or metabolic conversion is impaired.

10 Dec 2025

Study elucidates novel mitochondrial mechanisms underlying anti-aging and longevity

As life expectancy continues to climb globally, the focus of many people has moved from longevity alone to living in good health.

10 Dec 2025

Filtered coffee shows a causal link to healthier HbA1c levels

Genetically predicted filtered coffee consumption is causally associated with lower HbA1c levels, while other coffee preparation methods show no such benefit. This effect appears to be partly mediated by increases in propionate producing gut bacteria, particularly Veillonella.

10 Dec 2025

Study offers a unified biological model to explain the causes of autism

A new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

10 Dec 2025

Surprising new function of immune cells uncovered: Excess weight loss prevention

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a surprising new function for immune cells: preventing excess weight loss.

10 Dec 2025

Sterilized fermented beverage targets obesity and type 2 diabetes pathways in computational study

Researchers profiled a terminally sterilized probiotic-fermented MFH beverage and identified aporphine alkaloids and flavonoids with favorable predicted ADMET properties. Integrated network pharmacology, molecular docking, and 100-ns MD simulations suggest multi-target engagement of metabolic-inflammatory pathways relevant to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

9 Dec 2025

Nanoflower-treated stem cells deliver healthier mitochondria to stressed cells

This study shows that vacancy-engineered MoS₂ nanoflowers drive mitochondrial biogenesis in human mesenchymal stem cells by activating SIRT1–PGC-1α signaling and reducing oxidative stress. These treated cells transfer more functional mitochondria to injured recipient cells, restoring energy metabolism and redox balance in multiple in vitro models.

9 Dec 2025

Gut microbe metabolite TMA improves blood sugar by shutting down a key inflammatory switch

Researchers identified trimethylamine (TMA) as a gut microbe–derived metabolite that directly inhibits IRAK4 to reduce metabolic inflammation and improve glycaemic control in high-fat-diet-fed mice. Choline-driven increases in TMA production replicated these benefits, revealing a host–microbe signaling axis with therapeutic potential for obesity-associated insulin resistance.

9 Dec 2025

Dietary restriction reprograms cancer-fighting immune cells to enhance anti-tumour immunity

Reducing calorie intake helps cancer-fighting immune cells do their jobs more effectively, reports a study by Van Andel Institute scientists and collaborators.

9 Dec 2025

Supportive marriages may shape appetite control through oxytocin and the brain–gut axis

Supportive marital relationships are associated with lower BMI, fewer food addiction symptoms, higher oxytocin, stronger frontal brain responses to food cues, and favorable gut tryptophan metabolites. These coordinated social, neural, hormonal, and gut pathways suggest a plausible biological link between emotional support and healthier eating regulation.

8 Dec 2025

Industrial and farm chemicals quietly alter the balance of gut microbes

This study systematically screened over 1,000 agricultural and industrial chemicals and found that many can inhibit human gut bacteria in vitro. Beyond antimicrobial effects, these chemicals act as selective pressures that can reshape microbial competition, tolerance mechanisms, and metabolic pathways.

8 Dec 2025

Researchers discover a surprising ally in the fight against insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

An international research team led by Professor Marc-Emmanuel Dumas at Imperial College London & CNRS together with Prof. Patrice Cani (Imperial & University of Louvain, UCLouvain), Dr. Dominique Gauguier (Imperial & INSERM, Paris) and Prof. Peter Liu (University of Ottawa Heart Institute) has uncovered a surprising ally in the fight against insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: a microbial metabolite called trimethylamine (TMA).

8 Dec 2025