Metabolic is the adjective for things that belong to your body’s inner chemical work: turning food into energy, building new cell stuff, and breaking down what you no longer need. Doctors, biology teachers, and health writers use it all the time. You will hear metabolic rate (how fast the body seems to burn energy), metabolic waste (what is left after the body has used the food), and metabolic disorder or metabolic syndrome (when that chemistry is out of balance). It is a formal, science-y word. In ordinary talk people more often say “your metabolism” than “a metabolic process.” Though actually, adverts now stretch it: a “metabolic boost” on a bottle may only mean “this might help you burn a bit more energy,” not a careful medical fact.