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.

What are Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Enzymes?

Metabolism Catabolism

Metabolism Control

Metabolism Thermodynamics

Metabolism Evolution

Metabolism History

Science of Metabolism

Metabolism Energy Transformations

What are Coenzymes?

What is Metabolism?

Gibbs Free Energy and Metabolism

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Xenobiotics and Redox Metabolism

An Overview of Nucleotide Metabolism

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Metabolism Investigation and Manipulation

Science of Metabolism

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Bisphenol mixtures alter breast tissue development in lab-grown human models

Exposure to common chemicals may alter how normal human breast tissue develops, according to a new study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston University

15 Oct 2026

Women with low bone density reported less pain after taking pine bark extract

A randomized clinical trial involving 67 women with osteopenia or stable osteoporosis found that three months of Pycnogenol® supplementation improved self-reported bodily pain and vitality scores compared with placebo. However, overall disease-specific quality of life did not significantly improve, and the six-month findings were insufficient to establish long-term benefits or safety.

15 Oct 2026

Targeting the STING pathway could help prevent osteoporosis

As we age, our bones become weak and brittle, a process called osteoporosis. This bone loss is caused by changes in the cells within the bone marrow microenvironment, such as elevated fat and inflammation-promoting immune cells.

15 Oct 2026

A protective brain enzyme may counteract aging-associated cognitive decline

Cinzia Vicidomini, PhD, and Amar Sahay, PhD, of the Mass General Brigham Department of Psychiatry, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, are the lead and senior authors of a paper published in Nature Neuroscience, "An aging-sensitive secreted phospholipase confers neuroprotection and cognitive resilience."

15 Oct 2026

Common blood pressure drug boosts brown adipose tissue activity and metabolism

Scientists have discovered that the drug losartan, commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, boosts brown adipose tissue activity in mice, enhancing their metabolism.

14 Oct 2026

E. coli eavesdrops on neighboring bacteria to stabilize gut diversity

The stability of the human gut microbiome relies on interactions between different bacterial species. However, the specific molecular mechanisms of these interactions, particularly among non-dominant species, remain largely unexplored.

14 Oct 2026

People who walk more each day tend to score better on several brain tests

Researchers analyzed 14 years of physical activity and blood pressure records from 3,093 US adults and found that higher daily step counts were associated with better performance on tests of attention, cognitive control, and reward-related decision-making. Higher systolic blood pressure was associated with poorer delay-discounting performance, but accounted for only 4.8% of its association with physical activity, while the single cognitive assessment prevented conclusions about causation or cognitive decline.

14 Oct 2026

From turmeric to fenugreek, scientists examine nature’s potential role in diabetes care

A narrative review examined how curcumin, honey, culinary spices, and traditional remedies may influence oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and insulin signaling in diabetes. Although experimental research and some clinical trials suggest potential metabolic benefits, the authors emphasize that larger, well-controlled studies are needed to establish their effectiveness and safety alongside conventional treatments.

14 Oct 2026

Coffee, citrus and genetics: What scientists found inside human breast milk

In a bioRxiv preprint, researchers analyzed 458 metabolites in breast milk samples from 349 mothers to investigate how maternal diet, genetics, clinical characteristics, and milk-cell gene expression relate to milk composition. Maternal diet explained the greatest share of metabolite variation among the measured maternal factors, while specific genetic variants and gene-expression patterns were associated with individual metabolites, although the study did not establish effects on infant health.

14 Oct 2026

Cigarette smoke exposure alters ovarian and testicular function in mice

New research has shed light on how exposure to cigarette smoke could affect reproductive health in both men and women, identifying changes in biological processes involved in ovarian function and sperm production.

13 Oct 2026

Switching to a vegan diet rapidly alters liver metabolism

A team from UNIGE has shown that switching from a vegetarian to a vegan diet is enough to modify the liver’s metabolism within a few days.

13 Oct 2026

Mursla Bio publishes peer-reviewed validation of tissue-specific extracellular vesicle platform for liquid biopsy

Mursla Bio, a precision medicine and diagnostics company built on tissue-specific extracellular vesicles (TS-EVs), today announced publication of a peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles (impact factor 21.7), the founding journal of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles. This validates the TS-EV platform for a new class of liquid biopsy: the multiomic disease biology of living cells in a chosen tissue, read from blood, starting with the liver.

From Mursla Bio 13 Oct 2026

Year-long trial finds NAD-boosting supplement fails to improve early Parkinson's symptoms

In a phase 3 randomized clinical trial involving 410 people with early Parkinson disease, 52 weeks of nicotinamide riboside supplementation increased blood NAD levels but failed to improve clinical outcomes compared with placebo. Participants receiving the supplement had modestly worse overall disease scores, although the difference was below the threshold generally considered clinically meaningful.

12 Oct 2026

Review highlights EP4 receptor as target for inflammatory diseases

A review published in Genes & Diseases highlights the prostaglandin E2 receptor subtype 4 (EP4) as an important regulator of inflammation and a promising therapeutic target for a wide range of inflammatory and inflammation-related diseases.

12 Oct 2026

Targeting mitochondrial vulnerabilities could help treat triple-negative breast cancer

A deeper understanding of mitochondrial function could create new opportunities for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer.

12 Oct 2026

Targeting lipophagy could help treat metabolic and oxidative stress-related diseases

A review published in Genes & Diseases highlights lipophagy, the cellular process that selectively breaks down lipid droplets, as a potentially important therapeutic target for conditions driven by disrupted lipid metabolism and oxidative stress.

12 Oct 2026

Most online breast cancer diet advice lacks strong evidence

Over 87% of online breast cancer nutrition claims lack strong scientific support, study finds.

12 Oct 2026

A simple handgrip test offers new clues about long COVID

Weaker handgrip strength correlates with severe long COVID symptoms, highlighting its potential as a measure for muscle dysfunction and recovery challenges.

12 Oct 2026

A study links a blood protein to memory and brain changes in Down syndrome

Researchers studying 88 adults with Down syndrome and 43 controls estimated that serum β-synuclein increased approximately two decades before expected Alzheimer’s symptoms, preceding changes in other blood biomarkers. Higher levels correlated with poorer memory and brain changes, but the cross-sectional study could not distinguish whether the earliest increase reflected Alzheimer’s-related synaptic dysfunction, trisomy 21-related neurobiology, or both.

11 Oct 2026

New research reveals the remarkable complexity of human milk

Two major international studies are providing new insight into how human milk is regulated, showing that some components respond to maternal nutrition, while others remain stable or reflect biological processes involved in lactation and infant growth.

10 Oct 2026