Answer
Synthesis is a process of making or building new substances. It involves the formation of new bonds between chemical reactants to form new substances with potential energy to do the work of physiological processes. Synthesis also includes the linking of simple molecules by bonding to form more complex molecules of structural
substances like collagen or muscle,and for making energy storing complex molecules like glycogen . These synthetic processes come under the anabolic branch of metabolism.
Catabolism is the breaking down side of metabolism in which large complex molecules are decomposed into smaller units by the breaking of chemical bonds. Catabolism and anabolic processes cooperate in metabolism: catabolism provides the energy and the smaller simpler units which are necessary in the synthetic processes of anabolism.
Work Step by Step
Digestive processes involve a series of catabolic reactions that are catalysed by enzymes. Thus when we consume starchy foods, the digestive system with the aid of ptyalin and certain pancreatic enzymes catabolize and break down dietary starch into a final small molecule called glucose or blood sugar; glucose is the energy currency of the body which is taken to all parts of the body by blood. A surplus of glucose is not excreted by healthy individuals, but stored in the liver, and muscles as glycogen. Glycogen is a complex carbohydrate molecule, a polysaccharide which consists of many units of glucose bonded together in macromolecule. Glycogen is formed by synthetic reactions which fall under the anabolic branch of the metabolism of the body .
