catabolic process
Sign in to savethumb|250px|right|Schematic breakdown of large biomolecules to release energy for fueling the cell [[metabolism by producing ATP, the energy currency of the cell]] thumb|500px|Carbon Catabolism pathway map for free energy including carbohydrate and lipid sources of energy
AI overview
A catabolic process is when your body breaks down large molecules like carbohydrates and fats into smaller pieces, releasing energy that gets stored in a molecule called ATP, which powers your cells. This matters because without catabolism, your body wouldn't be able to extract the energy from food that you need to function.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Catabolic hormones
- Etymology
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|250px|right|Schematic breakdown of large biomolecules to release energy for fueling the cell [[metabolism by producing ATP, the energy currency of the cell]] thumb|500px|Carbon Catabolism pathway map for free energy including carbohydrate and lipid sources of energy
Catabolism () is the set of metabolic pathways that breaks down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release energy or used in other anabolic reactions. Catabolism breaks down large molecules (such as polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins) into smaller units (such as monosaccharides, fatty acids, nucleotides, and amino acids, respectively). Catabolism is the breaking-down aspect of metabolism, whereas anabolism is the building-up aspect.