Metabolism
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
A metabolism is the set of physical and chemical processes that occur within a living cell. These processes are necessary for life, as they allow cells to grow, to reproduce, and to survive.
In 2153, aboard the Enterprise NX-01, Hoshi Sato brought some angel hair pasta to sickbay for Doctor Phlox. Phlox refused to eat, however, as it would accelerate his metabolism, which may have caused the Borg nanoprobes infecting his body to spread further. (ENT: "Regeneration")
In 2369 Doctor Julian Bashir cited the metabolism as one of the aspects which change when a Trill symbiont changed from one host to the next one. (DS9: "Dax")
In 2370, Voval claimed that when Iyaarans such as himself are injured, their metabolic processes slow down in order to accelerate healing, making them appear dead for a time. (TNG: "Liaisons")
