Metabolic Diseases

Course Summary

A metabolic disease is a disease that disrupts normal metabolism. Metabolism is the process of converting food into energy on a cellular level and there are thousands of enzymes needed to carry out the process of metabolism. Metabolism involves the processing or transport of proteins (amino acids), carbohydrates (sugars and starches), or lipids (fatty acids), and when this process is disrupted it can lead to disease. As a result, some people may produce too much or too little of an enzyme to remain healthy. Metabolism creates the energy that allows the body to grow, reproduce, repair damage, and respond to the environment. Metabolic diseases weaken these actions in many ways, and this leads to broken links within the normal process of metabolizing foods for energy. There are more than 1,300 known metabolic diseases.