Metabolism, Nutrition, and Energetics

These flashcards cover important vocabulary related to metabolism, nutrition, and energetics, providing definitions and relationships between terms.

Metabolism

The sum of all catabolic and anabolic reactions in the body.

Catabolism

Chemical reactions that break down big (complex) molecules into simpler (smaller) molecules, releasing energy.

Anabolism

Chemical reactions that combine simple (small) molecules to form complex or bigger molecules, consuming energy.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The main activated carrier molecule used to temporarily store chemical bond energy.

Oxidation

Loss of electrons in a chemical reaction.

Reduction

Gain of electrons in a chemical reaction.

Glycolysis

The first stage of glucose catabolism, breaking down glucose into pyruvate to generate ATP and NADH.

Krebs Cycle

Also known as the citric acid cycle, it extracts high-energy electrons from acetyl-CoA.

Electron Transport Chain

A series of protein complexes that transfer high-energy electrons, used to create a proton gradient for ATP synthesis.

Chemiosmosis

Process of using a proton (H+) gradient to generate ATP through ATP synthase.

Lipolysis

Breakdown of lipids to release fatty acids and glycerol.

Gluconeogenesis

Formation of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources.

Glycogenesis

The process of converting glucose to glycogen for storage.

Glycogenolysis

The breakdown of glycogen to glucose.

Beta-Oxidation

Metabolic process that breaks down fatty acids to produce acetyl-CoA.

Essential Amino Acids

Amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained through the diet.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of stable internal conditions in the body.

Dietary Guidelines for America

Guidelines established by the Department of Agriculture to promote a balanced diet.

Nitrogen Balance

The difference between nitrogen intake through dietary protein and nitrogen excretion.

Absorptive State

The metabolic state following a meal, when nutrient absorption occurs.

Postabsorptive State

The metabolic state when nutrients are not being absorbed and the body relies on internal energy reserves.