Metabolism refers to the chemical processes that maintain life, including energy metabolism. The body obtains energy from breaking down nutrients like glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids through a series of catabolic reactions. This releases energy in the form of ATP, which is then used to drive anabolic reactions that build complex molecules. Key processes in energy metabolism include glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain in the mitochondria, which use oxygen to convert nutrients into ATP with approximately 50% efficiency.