Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins which work as catalysts to speed up the many chemical processes that occurs in an indaviduals body. Enzymes are never used up or changed during the chemical reaction process. At the most, an enzyme may require a cofactor to bind to it, in order to enter its proper conformation. This allows for a certain level of regulation over the enzyme.

Enzymes speed up chemical reactions by decreasing the activation energy of said reaction. However these never thermodynamically effect the chemical reaction. They do this by orientating molecules in an ideal way, pushing molecules closer together and by stabilizing the transition states of the reaction. Through these methods, enzymes allow our body to perform complex chemical reactions rapidly. For instance, the glycolosis of sugar on its own will take years. However, since we need energy all the time, an enzyme is needed to speed up the process.