- For the related metabolic process, see anabolism.
Catabolism (from
Greek κάτω
kato, "downward" and βάλλειν
ballein, "to throw") is the set of
metabolic pathways that breaks down
molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release
energy, or used in other
anabolic reactions. Catabolism breaks down large molecules (such as
polysaccharides,
lipids,
nucleic acids and
proteins) into smaller units (such as
monosaccharides,
fatty acids,
nucleotides, and
amino acids, respectively).