What types of inherited metabolic disorders are there?

In order for the body to break down compounds in food, it needs certain chemical substances called enzymes. However, in the case of inherited metabolic disorders, a genetic abnormality causes certain enzymes either to function abnormally or to be missing altogether. As substances that should be broken down build up, or as the body fails to make a substance it needs to function properly, a metabolic disorder develops. There are literally thousands of different metabolic disorders, which may affect the way a person breaks down compounds in carbohydrates, fats, or proteins.