Final answer:
Anabolism refers to the chemical processes that build smaller food molecules into larger, more complex compounds, requiring energy. It is part of metabolism, which includes both anabolic and catabolic pathways, with anabolism contributing to the biosynthesis of larger molecules from smaller ones.
Step-by-step explanation:
Anabolism is the term used to describe all the chemical processes that build food molecules into larger compounds. This biosynthetic procedure is a set of metabolic reactions that take smaller, simpler molecules and combine them into larger, more complex substances. Anabolism is part of metabolism, which is the sum of all chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of cells.
During anabolic reactions, energy is utilized to assemble the complex chemicals needed by the body. These reactions are also known as biosynthetic reactions, and they synthesize larger molecules from small constituent parts. The energy required for anabolic reactions is typically derived from the breakdown of food, where catabolic reactions release energy. Metabolism is composed of both building (anabolism) and degradation (catabolism) pathways, with the former requiring energy to synthesize molecules, and the latter producing energy by breaking them down.