How are carbohydrates converted to ATP?

Digestion is the breakdown of carbohydrates to yield an energy rich compound called ATP. The production of ATP is achieved through the oxidation of glucose molecules. In oxidation, the electrons are stripped from a glucose molecule to reduce NAD+ and FAD.

Which carbohydrate is converted to energy in this reaction?

Glucose that is consumed is used to make energy in the form of ATP, which is used to perform work and power chemical reactions in the cell. During photosynthesis, plants convert light energy into chemical energy that is used to build molecules of glucose.

How does the body convert food into energy?

Through the process of cellular respiration, the energy in food is converted into energy that can be used by the body’s cells. During cellular respiration, glucose and oxygen are converted into carbon dioxide and water, and the energy is transferred to ATP.

How does the body convert starch to glucose?

When starch is consumed, it dissolves into glucose molecules with the help of molecular machines, known as enzymes. Specifically, enzymes called amylases aid in breaking starch into glucose with the help of water.

How does the body convert fat into energy?

To create energy, the fatty acids enter the mitochondria — the energy factories of our cells — where they are converted into carbon dioxide, heat and water, making something called ATP in the process,” she continues. “It is ATP that is the energy currency of the cell.”

How does the body convert food to energy?

This energy comes from the food we eat. Our bodies digest the food we eat by mixing it with fluids (acids and enzymes) in the stomach. When the stomach digests food, the carbohydrate (sugars and starches) in the food breaks down into another type of sugar, called glucose.

How do carbohydrates turn into glucose?

The body breaks down or converts most carbohydrates into the sugar glucose. Glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream, and with the help of a hormone called insulin it travels into the cells of the body where it can be used for energy.

How are carbs converted to sugar?

When people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood. As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage.