Metabolic control systems coordinate myriad processes across the cellular, tissue and organismal levels to optimize the allocation of limited supplies across multiple, often competing, metabolic demands. As such, the regulation of metabolism can be analysed from the perspective of the economic theory of supply and demand. Here, we discuss how such analyses can provide new insights into the logic of metabolic control. In particular, we suggest that, in addition to being subject to well-appreciated homeostatic control, metabolism is subject to supply-driven and demand-driven controls, each operated by a dedicated set of signals throughout various physiological states, including inflammation. Furthermore, we argue that systemic homeostasis is a derived feature that evolved from the control systems that monitor metabolic supply and demand.

代谢控制系统协调细胞，组织和机体各个层面的无数过程，以优化有限的供应在多种（通常是竞争的）新陈代谢需求之间的分配。这样，可以从供需的经济学理论的角度来分析新陈代谢的调节。在这里，我们讨论了这种分析如何为代谢控制的逻辑提供新的见解。尤其是，我们建议，除了要受到良好的稳态控制之外，新陈代谢还应受供应驱动和需求驱动的控制，每种控制都通过包括炎症在内的各种生理状态的一组专用信号进行操作。此外，我们认为系统体内稳态是从监测代谢供需的控制系统演变而来的特征。