Biology Function of the Metabolic Research Paper

d.).

The primary organ that is accountable for regulating metabolism is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is situated on the brain stem and forms the floor and part of the lateral walls of the third ventricle of the cerebrum. The main functions of the hypothalamus is to control and integrate activities of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), production and regulation of feelings of rage and aggression, regulation of body temperature and regulation of food intake (Graham, 2005).

BMR goes down with age and with the loss of lean body mass. Increased muscle mass and cardiovascular exercise can help to increase BMR, even when the body is at rest. Measured in calories, metabolic rates vary with exertion, recent food ingestion, muscle exertion, environmental temperature, emotional state, body temperature, pregnancy, menstruation, level of thyroid hormones stress hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine), fear and illness. The human body requires energy in order to stay alive and basal metabolic rate (BMR) attempts to measure this energy. As people get older or lose muscle mass, their basal metabolic rate goes down. This means that less energy is needed in order to maintain the body's basic functions. Often, this occurrence is referred to as the metabolism slowing down (Basal metabolic rate, 2010).

BMR is measured in the total of calories that are required per day to maintain the body. Due to this, BMR can be very useful in comparing caloric intake to the actual amount of calories that are burned by the body. If caloric intake is lower than the calories that are used per day, burning fat or muscle will kick in order to make up the difference. A normal routine of cardiovascular exercise works to increase an individual's BMR, improve health and fitness as the body's ability to burn energy gradually slows down. BMR does not consider the calories that are needed for exercise, so it is not seen as a true representation of the amount of calories that are actually burned per day (Basal metabolic rate, 2010).

Because a person's environment is constantly changing, the reactions of metabolism must be finely synchronized to maintain a constant set of conditions within cells. This is a state known as homeostasis. Metabolic regulation also permits people to respond to signals and interact actively with the environment around them.

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