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Which statement BEST describes how enzymes affect the speed of a metabolic reaction?
Enzymes prevent products from being converted back into reactants, which decreases the speed of the reaction.
Enzymes replace the reactants in a chemical reaction, which decreases the speed of the reaction.
Enzymes increase the concentration of reactants, which increases the speed of the reaction.
Enzymes decrease the energy needed to start a reaction, which increases the speed of the reaction.

1 answer

The statement that BEST describes how enzymes affect the speed of a metabolic reaction is:

Enzymes decrease the energy needed to start a reaction, which increases the speed of the reaction.

Enzymes act as catalysts in biochemical reactions, lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to proceed, thus increasing the rate of the reaction without being consumed in the process.