Catabolism - what is it? Muscle catabolism. What is anabolism and what processes in the body are characteristic of it? What are anabolism and catabolism briefly

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Metabolism and energy - is a set of physical, chemical and physiological processes of transformation of substances and energy in the human body and the exchange of substances and energy between the body and the environment.

The continuous exchange of substances and energy between the body and the environment is one of the most essential signs of life.

To maintain vital processes, metabolism and energy are provided by plastic And energy body needs. This is achieved by extracting energy from nutrients entering the body and converting it into forms macroergic(ATP and other molecules) and restored(NADP-H - nicotine amide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) compounds. Their energy is used for the synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, as well as components of cell membranes and cell organelles, to perform mechanical, chemical, osmotic and electrical work, and ion transport. During metabolism, plastic substances necessary for biosynthesis, construction and renewal of biological structures are delivered to the body.

Anabolism and Catabolism

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In metabolism (metabolism) and energy are distinguished by two interconnected but multidirectional processes:

1. Anabolism, which is based on assimilation processes,

2. Catabolism, which is based on dissimilation processes.

Anabolism is a set of processes of biosynthesis of organic substances, cell components and other structures of organs and tissues. Anabolism ensures growth, development, renewal of biological structures, as well as continuous resynthesis of macroergs and accumulation of energy substrates.

Catabolism - this is a set of processes of splitting complex molecules, components of cells, organs and tissues into simple substances, using some of them as precursors of biosynthesis, and to final decomposition products with the formation of high-energy and reduced compounds. The interconnection of the main functional elements of metabolism is shown in Fig. 10.1.

The diagram shows that the relationship between the processes of catabolism and anabolism is based on the unity of biochemical transformations that provide energy to all life processes and the constant renewal of body tissues. The driving force of life is catabolism. The coupling of anabolic and catabolic processes can be carried out by various substances, but the main role is played by ATP and NADP-H. Unlike other mediators of metabolic transformations, ATP is cyclically rephosphorylated, and NADP-H is reduced.

Providing energy to life processes is carried out due to anaerobic And aerobic catabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates entering the body with food.

During anaerobic digestion of glucose(glycolysis) or its reserve substrate glycogen (glycogenolysis), the conversion of 1 mole of glucose into 2 moles of lactate results in the formation of 2 moles of ATP. The energy generated during anaerobic metabolism is not enough to carry out the vital processes of animal organisms. Anaerobic glycolysis can satisfy only limited short-term energy needs of the cell. It is known, for example, that a mature mammalian erythrocyte completely satisfies its energy needs through glycolysis.

In the body of animals and humans in the process of aerobic metabolism almost all organic substances, including products of anaerobic metabolism, completely decompose to CO 2 and H 2 O. The total number of ATP molecules formed during the complete oxidation of 1 mole of glucose to CO 2 and H 2 O is 25.5 moles. The complete oxidation of a fat molecule produces a larger number of moles of ATP than the oxidation of a carbohydrate molecule. Thus, with the complete oxidation of 1 mole of palmitic acid, 91.8 moles of ATP are formed. The number of moles of ATP formed during the complete oxidation of amino acids and carbohydrates is approximately the same. ATP plays the role of an internal “energy currency” in the body, a carrier and accumulator of chemical energy.

The main source of recovery energy for the biosynthesis reaction of fatty acids, cholesterol, amino acids, steroid hormones, precursors for the synthesis of nucleotides and nucleic acids is NADPH-H. The formation of this substance occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell during the phosphogluconate pathway of glucose catabolism. With this breakdown of 1 mole of glucose, 12 moles of NADP-H are formed.

The processes of anabolism and catabolism are in the body in a state of dynamic equilibrium or the prevalence of one of them. The predominance of anabolic processes over catabolic ones leads to growth and accumulation of tissue mass, and the predominance of catabolic processes leads to partial destruction of tissue structures and the release of energy. The state of equilibrium or nonequilibrium ratio of anabolism and catabolism depends on age (predominance of anabolism in childhood, balance in adults, predominance of catabolism in old age), health status, physical or psycho-emotional stress performed by the body.

Anabolism and catabolism are equally necessary processes in the body, and it is worth learning more about them so as not to believe numerous myths.

When you sign up for a gym, your trainer will often hear terms such as anabolism, catabolism and metabolism.

The word “catabolism” can inspire fear, because this is the breakdown of muscles, as the instructor explained, but anabolism, on the contrary, is given odes and every trainee should certainly strive for it, closing the carbohydrate window, or mixing protein shakes right between approaches.

But it's not that simple. Both anabolism and catabolism are equally necessary processes in the body, so it’s worth learning more about them so as not to trust numerous myths on this topic.

What is the relationship between anabolism, anabolic steroids and the anabolic effect?

Anabolism is a biochemical process in the human body, due to which new compounds are created at the molecular level. In simple words, this is the generation of cells and the synthesis of proteins and hormones, thanks to which the growth of muscle fibers occurs, which is what all athletes achieve.

Anabolism occurs under the influence of nutrients, minerals and vitamins entering the body in sufficient quantities.

Several concepts in microbiology and medicine are associated with anabolism, one of them is the anabolic effect.

This is the explosive growth of cells in the body, due to a reaction to intense training, a change in diet, sports supplements or anabolic steroids.

Anabolism can occur not only in muscle tissue, but also in fat tissue; in the broad sense of the word, this concept means the growth and renewal of any cells in the human body.

But if we talk about anabolism as a process of increasing muscle fibers, then it depends on many factors:

1. Diet, sleep and rest.

2. Regular training and changing training programs.

3. No stress and full recovery.

4. Body constitution and individual metabolism.

Metabolism or metabolism is directly related to the anabolic and catabolic processes, which are its components. Metabolic rates vary among people of different body types, lifestyles, and ages.

Children have a very fast metabolism, which is why they love sweet foods, which are replete with fast carbohydrates, which are needed to obtain instant energy, which the growing body completely wastes.

People of different body types have different metabolic processes.

There are three body types:

Ectomorph

Mesomorph

Endomorph

Ectomorphs are naturally thin, they have a fast metabolism, and they require much more effort to anabolize muscles, since catabolic processes predominate in their body.

Mesomorphs have a naturally athletic build, their muscles respond easily to stress, anabolism and catabolism are in balance.

Endomorphs tend to be overweight, anabolism prevails over catabolism, they easily grow both muscle and fat tissue.

Depending on your body type, you should select your training regimen and diet.

For example, endomorphs need to eat more protein foods and reduce fats and carbohydrates, while ectomorphs should not be afraid of fats and carbohydrates, because if there are not enough of them in the diet, the body will take energy from proteins and muscle growth will be very slow.

Rest between workouts is important, since during proper rest the body is fully restored, this is a time of active muscle growth, so you should not neglect days of rest from the gym.

Especially if you do not play sports professionally. Yes, training athletes conduct up to two workouts in one day and on almost all days of the week, managing not only not to lose weight, but also to gain it.

They do this thanks to countless sports supplements that help them recover faster and train more efficiently, protein, and a mega-calorie diet with plenty of protein.

For the average amateur, 3-4 workouts per week on an ongoing basis is enough to see progress in the development of strength and endurance, changes in the body and an increase in muscle mass.

But even if you practice regularly, you may come to the point where you stop noticing your own evolution in training.

Many people during this period begin to take various medications and buy sports nutrition.

But first of all, you need to pay attention to your training program, which it is advisable to change or update every three months. It wouldn’t hurt to change the type of physical activity, for example, take up any new type of fitness.

An athlete's diet should be rich in protein foods. The more muscle mass you have, the more protein you should have in your diet. Protein is needed to prevent the process of muscle breakdown, for their maintenance and growth.

How much protein you need can be calculated using special formulas that are easy to find on the Internet, but do not forget to adjust the average figures, focusing on your individual body constitution.

Sleep time is the time of restoration and renewal of all body functions at the cellular level.

For muscle anabolism, sleep is especially important, because during sleep, microtraumas of muscle fibers obtained as a result of training are healed, and, regenerating, the muscles hypertrophy.

Should you be afraid of catabolism?

The process opposite to anabolic is catabolism. This is the breakdown of substances at the molecular level, the breakdown of complex compounds into simple ones.

Catabolic is the process of breaking down proteins, fats and carbohydrates obtained from food so that the body can function normally.

Thanks to one process, another occurs, the processes of anabolism and catabolism are interconnected and together they represent metabolism (metabolism) in the body.

Without one process, the second is impossible, so it is foolish to be afraid of catabolism and believe myths about it.

But if we apply the terms empirically, it is clear that athletes are not afraid of catabolism in general, but of the loss of muscle mass, which is not so easy to gain, especially for ectomorphs.

How to prevent muscle catabolism:

1. Train regularly and change your training program periodically.

2. Sleep 8-9 hours a day, rest regularly, distracted from worries and problems.

3. Avoid stress and shock, relax.

4. Eat well, eat a lot of protein or supplement it with protein.

A good, fast metabolism is a sign of a healthy person. If you have any problems with your body, ailments or diseases, it is better to undergo a medical examination before visiting the gym.

The speed of its basic processes, and therefore the time and effort to build muscles, depends on the level of metabolism.

Now you know the importance of anabolism and catabolism in the process of building your own body, which means you will be able to competently apply the acquired knowledge in practice in order to train as efficiently as possible and obtain regular and full-fledged anabolism.

Anabolism is a collective concept meaning the synthesis of something new. In relation to strength sports, anabolism is the process of direct growth of muscle tissue. Although, of course, at the same time, ligaments, tendons, cartilages—the entire musculoskeletal system—are strengthened.

If you look at the essence of anabolism from a physiological point of view, it turns out that in a certain period a certain adaptive reaction from the central nervous system occurs in the body, which leads to an increase in muscle mass.

To manifest maximum strength potential, you need an appropriate nerve impulse transmitted to the muscles from the brain. If we simplify the concept as much as possible, then anabolism is what people actually do strength sports for, since it is large muscles that become the result of the entire set of processes united by the concept of “anabolism.”

Stages of anabolism

Strictly speaking, it is impossible to distinguish any specific stages of anabolism. However, if we delve deeper into the question of what happens in the process of anabolism, we can conditionally divide this process into the following phases:

Hormonal stage

Here hormones are secreted by the endocrine glands and subsequently delivered to the cells.

Having passed through the cell membrane (read more about this below), hormones pass to the cell nucleus.

If a trainee uses drugs, in particular AAS, a syringe “releases” hormones into the blood instead of the endocrine glands. Everything else will happen exactly the same as for someone training “naturally,” but with greater speed and intensity.

DNA activation stage

A number of processes occur in the cell nucleus that lead to the reading of genetic information, its doubling and the launch of the third stage of anabolism.

Muscle protein synthesis stage

At this stage, our body needs those same nutritional substrates that ordinary people love to talk about - proteins, or more precisely, the amino acids from which they are composed. It is the amino acids obtained from food (or from sports supplements - there is no difference) that will become the “building blocks” from which the tissues of our body will be synthesized.

It implies an organic combination of the processes of anabolism and catabolism, with the goal of maintaining the constancy of the internal environment of the body - homeostasis. In a person who does not exercise until the age of 30, these processes are balanced; later, catabolism begins to predominate, leading us in old age to an almost complete absence of muscles on the body. As a result, we get sore joints, fragile bones, and unstable blood circulation.

Our muscles contain a large vascular volume: with the breakdown of muscle tissue and its reduction, a larger volume of blood goes into the vessels, causing such an unpleasant disease as hypertension. And the latter brings with it a number of problems - heart rhythm disturbances, accelerated formation of atherosclerotic plaques, damage to the kidneys and eyes.

It would seem, based on the above, that catabolism is an unambiguous evil. But not everything is so simple in human physiology.

Anabolism in adulthood is impossible without catabolism. The whole question is how pronounced the latter will be. When we exercise, we cause intense muscle damage. This is why muscles hurt after physical activity - multiple microtraumas cause an inflammatory process in muscle tissue. So inflammation is not always bad. In our case, it's just the opposite.

Inflammation has three phases:

Damage. This is what we do when we train hard - we damage our muscles.
Exudative, also known as the edema phase. We experience the consequences of this particular phase the next morning after training.
Anabolic. This is also part of inflammation. In another way, this phase can be called healing. So, inflammation in the muscles ends with their growth. But subject to several conditions: the damage should not be excessive, adequate amounts of macro and micronutrients must be supplied to ensure healing and increase muscle mass.

And a few more words about the role of catabolism

Directly during the process of performing strength exercises, acidic metabolic products accumulate in muscle cells. At the same time, the pH changes, which leads to an increase in the permeability of cell membranes. And the nucleus becomes more susceptible to the action of hormones that enter the cell. Moreover, without preliminary acidification, the process of hormones “getting” beyond the cell membrane is very difficult.

What is the connection between sleep and anabolism?

Sleep is a complex neurophysiological process. There are many effects that sleep has on the human condition, but they are not the subject of this article. Here we will consider only the association of the process of anabolism and sleep.

At night, when the brain is immersed in sleep, the body works “more economically” - the pulse and heart rate slow down. Night is the kingdom of the Vagus or vagus nerve - that part of the nervous system that belongs to the parasympathetic. This means that the processes of digestion and assimilation of food within the small intestine are more efficient. This is a plus for anabolism. In addition, inflammatory processes intensify and become more intense. This means that we quickly reach the third, desired phase of the inflammatory process.

The process of anabolism is caused not only by sex hormones. Somatotropin, also known as somatotropin, plays an important role in this process. And the time when it is released in greatest quantity is at night.

Conclusion: sleep has a very positive effect on the anabolism process.

The influence of sports nutrition on the process of anabolism

For those who have carefully read the above information, it will not be a revelation that to ensure the third phase of anabolism, we need amino acids obtained from protein. Therefore, additional intake of one or the other in the form of a dietary supplement will have a positive effect on the anabolic process. But only if your main diet contains enough protein, carbohydrates and fats. Plus, you must have time to recover between workouts. So, on the one hand, the answer is obvious; it will be extremely useful for anabolism. But upon closer examination, everything is relative - for anabolism, all factors together are important, and not just one.

Metabolism is a metabolic process that occurs between cells and intercellular fluid (its constant composition is maintained by blood). There are two types of metabolic processes: catabolism and anabolism. Catabolism is associated with the destruction of complex substances into simpler ones. As a rule, it occurs with the release of energy. Anabolism is the formation of complex structures from simpler ones. Proceeds with the absorption of energy. In bodybuilding, a distinction is often made between metabolism (the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats to produce energy), catabolism (the breakdown of amino acids in muscle tissue when they cannot be supplied from the outside) and anabolism (the synthesis of amino acids to build muscle tissue). It is not right.

Catabolism

Catabolic processes are usually viewed by bodybuilders solely from a negative point of view, as processes leading to loss of muscle mass. In fact, catabolism is also the breakdown of glucose into carbon dioxide and water, the breakdown of lipids (fats) to produce energy. The speed of metabolic reactions for the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats is greatly influenced by factors such as:

gender (in men, the rate of basic metabolic processes is 10-20% higher than in women);
age (every 10 years the metabolic rate decreases by 2-3% from the level of 25-30 years);
body weight (the higher the total mass of bones, internal organs and muscles, without fat, the higher the rate of catabolic processes);
level of physical activity (with regular exercise, the metabolic rate increases: during the first 2-3 hours after training by 20-30%, then by no more than 2-7% within 16-24 hours).

Many substances obtained as a result of catabolism will be subsequently used by the body for the synthesis (anabolism) of other substances. For example, the human body meets its need for 14 amino acids.

Anabolism

As stated above anabolism- This is metabolism for the synthesis of substances necessary for the body. Bodybuilders often understand the process of anabolism as the synthesis of amino acids, protein and, further, muscles. But anabolism is also the synthesis of elements such as glycogen and fats. The high speed of anabolic processes means not only the rapid increase in muscle mass, but also fat deposits. Anabolic processes are associated with energy absorption. This is why it is impossible to achieve muscle growth even with a high protein content in the diet, but with a low calorie content.

There are special drugs that speed up certain metabolic processes. For example, green tea is considered a general metabolism stimulant. But testosterone serves the only purpose - increasing the rate of anabolism. Some substances facilitate the occurrence of catabolic processes, such as L-carnitine, which creates conditions for the transport of unsaturated fatty acids into the mitochondria for “burning”.