Metabolism is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions that takes place in the body’s cells, converting the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing in organisms. The three main purposes of metabolism are: the conversion of food to energy to run cellular processes; the conversion of food/fuel to building blocks for proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates; and the elimination of nitrogenous wastes. These enzyme-catalyzed reactions allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments.
新陳代謝是一系列發生在人體細胞中用以維持生命的化學反應，通過這一系列化學反應將我們食物中的營養物質轉化為能量，為我們所做的一切——從運動到思考再到成長提供能量。新陳代謝的三個主要目的是：將食物轉化為能量以進行細胞代謝；將食物和營養物質轉化為蛋白質、脂類、核酸和一些碳水化合物的結構大分子；清除含氮廢物。這些酶催化反應使生物體能夠生長和繁殖，維持其結構並對其環境做出反應。
There are two processes, or rather, two interactive channels by which metabolism runs.
Catabolism refers to the breakdown of food components (such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats) into their simpler forms, which can then be used to create energy. Think of it as your 「destructive metabolism」 which produces the energy required for all activity in the cells. In this process, cells break down carbohydrates and fats to release energy and fuel all anabolic reactions, such as heating the body, giving the muscles power to contract and the body to move. As complex chemical units are broken down into more simple substances, the waste products released in the process of catabolism are removed from the body through the skin, kidneys, lungs, and intestines.
Anabolism is your 「constructive metabolism」 that gives which is all about building and storing. All anabolic processes support the growth of new cells, the maintenance of body tissues, and the storage of energy for use in the future.
有兩個過程，或者更確切地說，有兩個代謝運行的交互式通道。
●異化作用（又叫做分解代謝）：是指將食物營養物質（如碳水化合物，蛋白質和脂肪）分解成更簡單的形式，用於產生能量。把它想像成是你的「破壞性新陳代謝」，產生細胞內所有活動所需的能量。在這個過程中，細胞分解碳水化合物和脂肪，釋放能量，加速所有合成代謝反應，如加熱身體，使肌肉收縮，身體移動。由於複雜的化學單元被分解成更簡單的物質，在分解代謝過程中釋放的廢物通過皮膚，腎臟，肺和腸道從體內排出。
●同化作用（又叫做合成代謝）：是你的「建構性新陳代謝」，可使機體進行自身建設和儲存。所有合成代謝過程都是支撐新細胞的生長，身體組織的維持以及為未來儲存能量。
These are governed by your Hormonal and Nervous systems. Interestingly, they work together like a team complimenting every single cellular action in your body. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate (or total energy expenditure) — what you might call metabolism.
這些都是由你的荷爾蒙和神經系統支配的。有趣的是，它們像一個團隊一起工作，支持你身體的每一個細胞活動。在這個複雜的生化過程中，食物和飲料中的卡路裡與氧氣結合，釋放出身體發揮功能時所需的能量，身體用於執行這些基本功能的卡路裡數量稱為基礎代謝率（或總能量消耗）——可稱之為新陳代謝。
The complexity of metabolism can be divided into three components:
1.Basal metabolic rate (BMR) –is the amount of kilojoules burned at restand contributes 50-80% of your energy used. The BMR refers to the amount of energy your body needs to maintain itself. This accounts for 50-80% of your total energy use. Total lean mass, especially muscle mass, is largely responsible for the BMR. So, anything that reduces lean mass will reduce BMR.
新陳代謝的要點可分為三個部分：
1.基礎代謝率（BMR）-是在休息時燃燒的千焦耳量，佔你所用能量的50-80％。BMR指的是身體維持自身所需的能量。這佔總能耗的50-80％。總瘦肉量，尤其是肌肉量，是消耗BMR的主力軍。因此，減少瘦肉質量的任何事情都會降低BMR。
2.Energy used during physical activity – this is the amount of kilojoules burned during movement and physical activity. The energy expenditure of the muscles makes up only 20% or so of the total energy expenditure at rest but, during strenuous exercise, the rate of energy expenditure of the muscles may go up 50-fold or more.
2.運動消耗的能量 - 這是在運動和身體活動期間燃燒的千焦耳熱量。肌肉的能量消耗僅佔休息時總能量消耗的20％左右，但是在劇烈運動期間，肌肉的能量消耗率可能上升50倍或更多。
3.Food processing (thermogenesis) – this is the energy you use to eat, digest and metabolize food. Regardless of what you thought before, eating actually raises your metabolism. No wonder diet-obsessed meal-skippers burn fewer calories AND have no energy to move. After each meal, the metabolic rise occurs soon after you start eating and peaks two to three hours later. It can range between 2-3% and up to 25-30%, depending on the size of the meal and the types of foods eaten. Fats raise the BMR by 4%, carbohydrates by 6% and proteins by up to 30%! Hot spicy foods can also have a significant thermic effect.
3.消化食品的能量（產熱） - 這是你用來食用，消化和代謝食物的能量。不管你之前的想法如何，進食實際上會提高你的新陳代謝。難怪迷戀節食和錯餐的人，消耗更少的卡路裡並且沒有能量移動。每餐後，您開始進食後很快就會出現新陳代謝，並在兩到三個小時後達到峰值。它的範圍在2-3％到25-30％之間，具體取決於進餐量和食物類型。脂肪可使BMR提高4％，碳水化合物提高6％，蛋白質提高30％！熱的辛辣食物也可以產生顯著的產熱效應。
Several factors determine your individual basal metabolism, including:
· Your body size and composition. People who are larger or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest.
· Your sex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight, which means men burn more calories.
· Your age. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight, slowing down calorie burning. Energy needs for your body's basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed.
有幾個因素決定了你的個體基礎代謝，包括：
•你的體型和成分。體型更大或肌肉更多的人即使在休息時也會燃燒更多的卡路裡。
•你的性別。與同齡和體重的女性相比，男性通常體脂較少，肌肉較多，這意味著男性燃燒的卡路裡更多。
•你的年齡。隨著年齡的增長，肌肉量往往會減少，脂肪會佔你體重的更多，從而減緩卡路裡的燃燒。運行身體基本功能的能量需求保持相當一致，不易改變。
Metabolism and weight
It may be tempting to blame your metabolism for weight gain. But because metabolism is a natural process, your body has many mechanisms that regulate it to meet your individual needs. Only in rare cases do you get excessive weight gain from a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as Cushing's syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
Unfortunately, weight gain is a complicated process. It's likely a combination of genetic makeup, hormonal controls, diet composition and the impact of environment on your lifestyle, including sleep, physical activity and stress.
All of these factors result in an imbalance in the energy equation. You gain weight when you eat more calories than you burn — or burn fewer calories than you eat.
代謝與體重
可能很容易將新陳代謝歸咎於體重增加。但是因為新陳代謝是一個自然過程，你的身體有很多機制來調節它以滿足你的個人需求。只有在極少數情況下，你才能從減緩新陳代謝中獲得過多的體重增加，例如庫欣症候群或甲狀腺功能減退。
不幸的是，體重增加是一個複雜的過程。這可能是基因組成、荷爾蒙控制、飲食促成以及環境對你的生活方式的影響的組合，這包括睡眠，身體活動和壓力。
所有的這些因素都會導致能量方程的不平衡。當你攝入的卡路裡超過了你所燃燒的，或者說你所燃燒的卡路裡比你攝入的多，你的體重就會增加。
Take Control of Your Metabolism, Take Control of Your Weight
控制新陳代謝，控制體重
How does our metabolism work? Metabolism is the process used by our bodies to convert food into energy. When your metabolism works correctly, the conversion of food to energy is a rapid process giving our bodies the chance to burn the calories you consume. When your metabolism is slow, you don’t effectively use the calories that you are taking in and this is what leads to excess body fat. This is what leads to weight gain. Two people can eat the exact same thing and one will burn all of the calories that they intake and the other will hold those calories and this is a direct effect of a fast and slow metabolism. So how do you take control of your metabolism? Here are some helpful pointers that will get your metabolism running like a freight train burning off those calories you intake before they turn into unwanted pounds.
我們的新陳代謝是如何運作的？代謝是我們的身體將食物轉化為能量的過程。當你的新陳代謝正常的運作時，食物轉化為能量是一個快速的過程，它給我們的身體燃燒你消耗的卡路裡的機會。當你的新陳代謝減緩時，你便不能有效的消耗你所攝入的卡路裡，而這就是導致我們身體脂肪過多的原因。這也是導致我們體重增加的原因。兩個人可以吃完全相同的東西，一個人將會燃燒他們攝入的所有卡路裡，另一個人將會保留這些卡路裡，這是快速和緩慢新陳代謝的直接影響。那麼，你應該怎樣控制你的新陳代謝呢？以下是一些有幫助的指導方法，可以讓你的新陳代謝在變成你不想要的體重之前，運作起來像一輛貨運火車，燃燒掉你攝入的卡路裡。
5 Ways to Take Control of Your Metabolism
五個控制新陳代謝的方法
1. Weight Training
Lifting weights is the best way to promote muscle growth.
Growing and repairing your muscles requires more energy from your body which in turn boosts your metabolism.
After a work out you will raise your metabolism so high that you will continue to burn calories for an additional three days! This is a very important way to take control of your metabolism because the process of repairing muscle takes time. You burn calories even while you’re sleeping!
1. 重量訓練
舉重是促進肌肉生長的最好方法。
生長和修復肌肉需要很多的身體能量，從而促進你的新陳代謝。
鍛鍊結束後，你的新陳代謝會升高，接下來的三天裡會繼續燃燒卡路裡！這是控制新陳代謝的一種非常重要的方法，因為修復肌肉的過程需要時間。甚至在睡覺時，都會燃燒卡路裡！
2. Eat Protein
Eating protein should be consumed daily but if you are trying to lose weight you should eat lean protein and have it count for 30 percent of your caloric intake during the day. Lean protein will help boost your metabolism throughout your day.
Lean proteins produce calories that are easily converted into energy rather than fat.
2.吃蛋白質
每天都應該食用蛋白質，但如果你想減肥，應該吃瘦肉蛋白，並讓它佔你一天所攝入的卡路裡攝入量的30%。
食用瘦肉蛋白所產生的卡路裡更容易轉化成能量而不是脂肪。
3. Eat Often
During your day you need to eat little and often. Eating small meals more often during a day at the same times everyday has been shown to help take control of your metabolism.
Diets that limit your caloric intake to under 1,000 calories actually do harm because eating so little slows down your metabolism causing your body to eat away at your muscles first before moving to fat.
Eat clean, small portions often to take control of your metabolism.
3. 多吃
在一天中，你需要少量多次進餐。每天在同一時間更頻繁地吃少量的飯菜，已被證明有助於控制你的新陳代謝。
將熱量攝入量限制在1000卡路裡以下的飲食實際上是有害的，因為進食這麼少會減慢你的新陳代謝，進而導致你的身體在轉而消耗脂肪之前先吃掉你的肌肉。
要通過經常吃適量的，小部分的食物以控制你的新陳代謝。
4. Spicy Foods
This one is a give and take. The give is finding spicy foods with lower calories and low fat. The take is spicy foods can raise your heart rate which in turn will boost your metabolism.
Cayenne pepper and chilli powders are a common favorites to add to lean proteins to get the best results when boosting your metabolism.
4. 吃辣的食物
這種方法可以說是一種良性活躍機制。攝入辛辣食物是因為發現它著低熱量，低脂肪。辛辣食物反作用於新陳代謝是說它可以提高你的心率，從而促進你的新陳代謝。
辣椒粉和辣椒粉是添加到瘦肉蛋白中的常見食物，在提高新陳代謝時獲得最佳效果。
5.Supplements
Sometimes the clean eating and excercise are just not enough. This is where CLA can help. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is an excellent fat burner but is also used as an effective metabolism booster. Taking CLA reduces fat deposits in the body and decreases appetite.
CLA increases your metabolism. It also causes you to burn calories and fat faster, which suggests an increase in metabolism.
5. 吃補品
有時適量的飲食和鍛鍊是不夠的。這是 CLA 可以提供幫助的地方。共軛亞油酸(CLA)是一種極好的脂肪燃燒器，但也被用作有效的代謝助推器。服用CLA可減少體內脂肪的沉積，降低食慾。
CLA 增加你的新陳代謝，還會促使你更快地燃燒卡路裡和脂肪，這表明新陳代謝有所增加。
重點醫學詞彙匯總：
1.metabolism [məˈtæbəlɪzəm] 新陳代謝
2.life-sustaining [laɪf səˈsteɪnɪŋ] 維持生命的
3.nitrogenous [naɪˈtrɑdʒənəs] 含氮的
4.enzyme-catalyzed [ˈenzaɪm ˈkætəˌlaɪzd] 酶催化的
5.catabolism [kəˈtæbəlɪzəm] 分解代謝（異化作用）
6.anabolism [ə'næbəlizəm] 合成代謝（同化作用）
7.anabolic [ˌænəˈbɒlɪk] 合成代謝的；同化的
8.intestine [ɪnˈtɛstən] 腸
9.hypothyroidism [ˌhaɪpoʊˈθaɪrɔɪdɪzəm] 甲狀腺功能減退
譯者：新鄉醫學院翻譯專業大三學生Jayla和Sylvia
審校：Mr. Zhang
原文連結：
1.https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508
2.http://www.vitalmend.com/5-ways-to-take-control-of-your-metabolism/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism
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