Metabolism describes chemical reactions that maintain living cells and organisms. There are two main types of metabolic reactions: catabolism breaks down molecules, releasing energy, while anabolism uses this energy to build complex molecules. Enzymes catalyze metabolic reactions and allow organisms to couple spontaneous reactions that release energy to drive other reactions. The main biomolecules that make up living things - amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleotides - are broken down and synthesized through metabolic pathways.