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Many people use the word metabolism, but few know what it actually means. Indeed, if you asked a room filled with a hundred doctors and nutritionists, “What’s the definition of metabolism?” you’d likely hear a hundred different answers. It’s no surprise, then, that the rest of us would be confused about this topic. So in the spirit of furthering science and making nutrition and health a lot more interesting, let’s take a look at the old definition of metabolism, and come up with a newer one that’s more crispy and fresh.

Here’s the basic, undisputed classic textbook definition of metabolism:

Metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical reactions in the body.

Are you surprised it’s that simple? Of course, we can talk about the metabolism of such specific tissues as the liver and thyroid. We can talk about the metabolism of specific substances such as cholesterol. We can also talk about the metabolism of different body systems, such as digestive metabolism. People who say “I want to speed up my metabolism” are actually referring to calorie-burning metabolism, also known as thermic efficiency.

With this understanding, if we wanted to “increase metabolism”, we’d make it our business to kick-start our body’s chemical efficiency with exercise, drugs, the latest supplement, or the magic combination of foods. These approaches have certainly proven useful, but they are no longer adequate in describing metabolic reality.

That’s because metabolism doesn’t occur in the body alone.

– Read more at:   A New Definition of Metabolism