Metabolism describes which concept?

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Metabolism refers to all chemical processes that occur in living organisms. It includes both breaking down nutrients to release energy (catabolic pathways) and using that energy to build and maintain cellular components (anabolic pathways). Enzymes regulate these reactions, and energy carriers like ATP link the steps in a coordinated network that supports growth, repair, and homeostasis. This makes metabolism the broad collection of biochemical processes in a living system, not just energy production, vitamin breakdown, or lab-catalyzed reactions.