the sum of the processes in the buildup and destruction of protoplasm; specifically :the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated
Ingestion n.
take in for
The drug is more easily ingested in pill form.
Assimilation n.
the incorporation or conversion of nutrients into protoplasm that in animals follows digestion and absorption and in higher plants involves both photosynthesis and root absorptio
digestion n.
the process of making food absorbable by dissolving it and breaking it down into simpler chemical compounds that occurs in the living body chiefly through the action of enzymes secreted into the alimentary canal
Excretion n.
metabolic waste products (as urea and carbon dioxide) that are eliminated from the body
impairment n.
To damage or make worse by or as if by diminishing in some material respect <his health was impaired by overwork> <the strike seriously impaired community services>
trauma
an injury (as a wound) to living tissue caused by an extrinsic agent