the term "metabolizing" or "metabolism"

does it refer to turning a food,drug,minerals etc. into energy/use or does it refer to the rate of eliminating the substance in your system?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism

more of breaking food down into products that are used then to build compounds used for life

This post was edited by cialda on Feb 23 2011 03:33pm

And metabolizing can also be used for other substances which are broken down in the system.

For example, the active ingredient in Amanitas Muscaria (Ibotenic Acid) when heated or digested, is turned into "Muscimol" and it does not Metabolize. A tribe called the Koryaks actually drank their urine, as well as each other's to continue the effects of the high induced by the mushroom.

oh yea i read about that shit
fly agarics

It's both
Metabolism is just the overall process that's happening
It then divides down to anabolism and catabolism

Basically what everyone else has said

Its the rate at which an organism breaks down, digests, absorbs and uses nutritents. The thyroid gland is the main metabolism player, though there are other factors

it reefers to the metabolic rate.... the speed at which biochemical processes occur inside you balls including the rest of your body.

metabolism is the term used to describe any chemical reaction in our body.

enzymes are used to increase the rate of metabolism.

so metabolism is the breaking down of substances such as glycogen to amylose and then to glucose.

it does not refer to the substances being converted into energy, since this is called respiration.

glucose + oxygen = carbon dioxide + water + energy that is used to form ATP

hope it helped