News tagged with metabolism
Brain region may hold key to aging
While the search continues for the Fountain of Youth, researchers may have found the body's "fountain of aging": the brain region known as the hypothalamus. For the first time, scientists at Albert Einstein ...
Neuroscience
May 01, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (21) |
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Discovery of new hormone opens doors to new type 2 diabetes treatments
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers have discovered that a particular type of protein (hormone) found in fat cells helps regulate how glucose (blood sugar) is controlled and metabolized (used for energy) in ...
Diabetes
May 07, 2013 |
4.6 / 5 (8) |
1
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Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells
Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.
Medical research
May 21, 2013 |
4.6 / 5 (8) |
0
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Study uncovers mechanism for how grapes reduce heart failure associated with hypertension
A study appearing in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry demonstrates that grapes are able to reduce heart failure associated with chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) by increasing the activity of several genes ...
Cardiology
May 02, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
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Uncleaned cells mean weak muscles
The protein complex mTORC1 promotes muscle growth. However, should this complex remain constantly active, it impairs the ability of the cells to self-clean, causing myopathy. Scientists working with Markus ...
Medical research
Apr 23, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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Tart cherries linked to reduced risk of stroke
(Medical Xpress)—For the millions of Americans at risk for heart disease or diabetes, a diet that includes tart cherries might actually be better than what the doctor ordered, according to new animal research ...
Health
Apr 24, 2013 |
3.8 / 5 (4) |
0
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Roundworm quells obesity and related metabolic disorders
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, have shown in a mouse model that infection with nematodes (also known as roundworms) can not only combat obesity but ameliorate related metabolic disorders. ...
Immunology
Apr 25, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
Losing sleep? Scientists evaluate why
The issue of sleep deprivation has gone beyond the counting of sheep and into the scientific domain, as European researchers set up 'sleep labs' to study the biomedical and sociological factors keeping us ...
Health
May 03, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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Study finds that sleep apnea and Alzheimer's are linked
A new study looking at sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroimaging adds to the growing body of research linking the two.
Alzheimer's disease & dementia
May 19, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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Research uncovers a potential role of two proteins in diabetes
(Medical Xpress)—Flinders University researchers are breaking new ground in a decade-long journey to pinpoint the function of two closely related proteins.
Diabetes
May 20, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
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Type 1 diabetes and heart disease linked by inflammatory protein
Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes appears to increase the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death among people with high blood sugar, partly by stimulating the production of calprotectin, a protein that sparks ...
Inflammatory disorders
May 07, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
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Gene variants link to insulin resistance based on diet
(HealthDay)—Variants of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) are associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, but only under particular dietary conditions, according to a study published online ...
Diabetes
Apr 28, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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Mouse study provides new clue to staying skinny on a high-fat diet
(Medical Xpress)—The mystery of why some people get fat eating high-fat foods while others can stay skinny on a diet of burgers and chips is closer to being solved.
Diabetes
May 01, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
1
Teens targeting strength, cardio fitness battle insulin resistance
(HealthDay)—Lower levels of abdominal muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth are independently associated with adverse levels of fasting insulin, insulin sensitivity, and β-cell function ...
Diabetes
Apr 25, 2013 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Structure that edits messenger RNA transcripts defective in two different forms of motor neuron diseases
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are degenerative motor neuron diseases in which the key mutated genes are involved in RNA metabolism. This similarity suggests that a ...
Medical research
Apr 26, 2013 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down organic matter, for example to harvest energy in cellular respiration. Anabolism, on the other hand, uses energy to construct components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids.
The chemical reactions of metabolism are organized into metabolic pathways, in which one chemical is transformed into another by a sequence of enzymes. Enzymes are crucial to metabolism because they allow organisms to drive desirable but thermodynamically unfavorable reactions by coupling them to favorable ones, and because they act as catalysts to allow these reactions to proceed quickly and efficiently. Enzymes also allow the regulation of metabolic pathways in response to changes in the cell's environment or signals from other cells.
The metabolism of an organism determines which substances it will find nutritious and which it will find poisonous. For example, some prokaryotes use hydrogen sulfide as a nutrient, yet this gas is poisonous to animals. The speed of metabolism, the metabolic rate, also influences how much food an organism will require.
A striking feature of metabolism is the similarity of the basic metabolic pathways between even vastly different species. For example, the set of carboxylic acids that are best known as the intermediates in the citric acid cycle are present in all organisms, being found in species as diverse as the unicellular bacteria Escherichia coli and huge multicellular organisms like elephants. These striking similarities in metabolism are most likely the result of the high efficiency of these pathways, and of their early appearance in evolutionary history.
For more information about Metabolism, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
