Okuzeka
Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Digestion and Metabolism

Break down

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

phrasal verbCore term

In nutrition & dietetics, break down means: To change a substance into smaller, simpler parts through chemical processes, as when enzymes turn proteins into amino acids and starch into sugars.

In Turkish: parçalamak, parçalanmak, yıkmak

How it is used

Used constantly when explaining digestion and metabolism, in both active and passive forms: 'enzymes break down fat', 'fat is broken down into fatty acids'. The noun is 'breakdown', as in 'muscle breakdown' or 'the breakdown of glycogen'.

Example sentences

  1. Enzymes in the small intestine break down proteins into amino acids.

  2. When energy intake is very low, the body starts breaking down muscle for fuel.

Common collocations

  • break down food
  • break down fat
  • break down into
  • muscle breakdown
  • digestionThe process in which the mouth, stomach and intestines break food down into small molecules that can be absorbed into the blood and used by the body.
  • metabolizeTo process a substance through the body's chemical reactions, for example to break down food for energy or to change a drug or alcohol into other compounds.
  • absorptionThe process by which digested nutrients pass from the intestine, mainly the small intestine, into the blood or lymph so the body can use them.
  • metabolismAll the chemical processes in the body that turn food into energy and into the materials cells need, and that break down and remove waste.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Digestion and Metabolism

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.