Catabolism is a metabolic process that breaks down molecules into smaller units and in turn subsequently release energy. It is controlled by signals such as hormones that controls metabolism.

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In catabolism, large molecules such as polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins are broken down into smaller units such as monosaccharides, fatty acids, nucleotides and amino acids, respectively. As molecules such as polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids are made from long chains of these small monomer units (mono = one + mer = part), the large molecules are called polymers (poly = many).

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Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catabolism

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