This diet restricts your intake of carbohydrates like sugars and starches (breads, pasta, etc.) and replaces them with protein and fat. Studies show that low-carb diets reduce your appetite and make you eat fewer calories and lose weight pretty much effortlessly, as long as you manage to keep the carbs down (4).
â Lipids are a large and varied group of biological molecules. Lipids are made mostly from carbon and hydrogen atoms and are generally not soluble in water. â The common categories of lipids are fats, oils, and waxes. â Lipids can be used to store energy. Some lipids are important parts of biological membranes and waterproof coverings. â Steroids synthesized by the body are lipids as well. Many steroids, such as hormones, serve as chemical messengers.
The chemistry of the cell also depends on the reactions of smaller molecules and ions. These can be inorganic, for example water and metal ions, or organic, for example the amino acids, which are used to synthesize proteins. The mechanisms by which cells harness energy from their environment via chemical reactions are known as metabolism.