Metabolism is the never ending biochemical process by which life carries out its functions. Doctors who deal with disease by means or attempting to restore normal metabolism are said to practice metabolic medicine. At first glance one would think this should be the only type of medicine practiced, but in fact main stream medicine uses man-made drugs to try to alter the natural process of metabolism and induce an artificial state in which undesirable symptoms are not allowed to be expressed. This is called allopathic medicine.

Metabolic typing is the term for a diet based upon the concept that people have unique metabolisms, and that therefore the nutrients and their balance which are appropriate for one person may be inappropriate for a second, and detrimental for a third.

Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that increase one's risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects a large number of people in a clustered fashion. In some studies, the prevalence in the USA is calculated as being up to 25% of the population. A condition with some similarities to human metabolic syndrome is recognised in horses, see equine metabolic syndrome. It is unknown if they have the same etiology.

The metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in one person. They include:

Metabolism is the means by which the body derives energy and synthesizes the other molecules it needs from the fats, carbohydrates and proteins we eat as food, by enzymatic reactions helped by minerals and vitamins.