Enzymes are special proteins in our bodies that help speed up important chemical reactions. These reactions are vital for how our body uses energy and processes food.

Enzymes make it easier for reactions to happen by lowering the energy needed to start them. For example, during a process called glycolysis, an enzyme named hexokinase helps change glucose into another substance called glucose-6-phosphate.

Here are some important things enzymes do for our metabolism:

• Regulation: They help control the different paths our metabolism takes.
• Specificity: They make sure the right materials are changed at the right times.
• Feedback inhibition: They prevent our bodies from making too much of a substance.

By doing all these things, enzymes help keep everything balanced in our metabolism.