As a young boy, I was intrigued by the exploits of super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, a fictional detective who were living in the late 19th and early 20th century, was invented in the imagination of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As a London detective, Holmes was famous for solving mysterious crimes that puzzled the renowned Scotland Yard police. He was always accompanied by his lifelong friend Dr. Watson, a medical professional by trade, and one who always observed the unknown with the eyes of science, while Holmes can look outside of the medical facts to reveal the simple truth solving the mystery. Dr. Watson would question Holmes at the end of every unknown asking, "Holmes how did you know?" Sherlock's response was generally the same, "It was elementary my dear Watson."  
  
I share with you my passion for Sherlock Holmes to set the stage for unraveling the Mystery of Metabolism in real Holmes as style. To look outside of the scientific facts to disclose the truth about metabolism. Exactly why is metabolism a mystery to a lot of? Answer, due to it's several facets which influence all chemical operations in a living organism.  
What is the very first thought coming to mind if you notice the phase metabolism? If perhaps your like the a huge number of clients I've interviewed you would most likely say the rate in which my bodies skin burns calories. When this is true of you, this is your 1st clue in un raveling the mystery of metabolism. Get your focus off of metabolic rate and use to metabolic state. Your metabolism is far more than resting metabolic rate, food induce metabolism and exercise metabolic rate. Though these're the 3 standard measurements of calorie expenditure, they alone don't symbolize the state or condition of your metabolism.  
The word metabolism originates from the Greek metabol, which means to change. This change describes other chemical reactions by which elaborate molecules are broken down for energy, or maybe easy molecules built up to make complex molecules. Usually terms all metabolic reactions fall into 2 groups, catabolic and anabolic reactions. A catabolic effect is the term for the breaking down of a molecule or perhaps tissue, and anabolic provides the building up of a molecule or tissue.  
The metabolism of yours is immense, and is governed by network of glands known as the endocrine system. These glands do business like a well managed ball team, each one a star at it is position. The endocrine system consists of the pancreas, pineal, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, hypothalamus, adrenal and testes or ovaries. These glands launch an array of stress hormones that perform as chemical messengers to manage every facet of metabolic process. There are several endocrine glands that have non-endocrine regions. The pancreas for instance has an endocrine region that creates the hormones insulin and glucagon to deal with blood sugar, in addition to a exocrine region that produces digestive enzymes for digestion. Regardless of what the metabolic function, the endocrine system plays a direct or indirect part in carrying out it. These metabolic reactions includes a vast quantity of bodily functions like; the functions, immune system, digestion, reproduction, inflammation, mineral regulation, cellular repair, and energy expenditure of all organs like; heart, kidneys, liver, intestines and stomach.  
This is your next clue in the unknown of metabolism. All human metabolic functions are both catabolic or anabolic, and they are affected by a hormonal effect. It is counterproductive to enjoy anabolic and catabolic reactions occurring in the cells in the identical time, for this reason bodily hormones mean the anabolic practice on as well as the catabolic practice off plus vice visa.  
The human body is magnificently designed to keep a homeostasis or even balance between anabolic and catabolic metabolism. If the balance becomes unstable metabolic disturbances are able to occur. go now back to the analogy of ours regarding the endocrine system simply being an all star ball team, and one of the players is carrying out poorly which effects the whole team.  
You'll find so many metabolic disturbances as hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, morbid obesity and the list goes on. The problem is, what causes this metabolic change, and in which direction, catabolic or anabolic? In most metabolic disorders the answer is catabolic. This is the third hint to the mystery of metabolism, as we get older the metabolism shift catabolic of ours.