Respiration is how your body makes energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, by using both aerobic and anaerobic respiration. Aerobic respiration is the pathway that utilizes oxygen, while anaerobic respiration does not. The body uses...
Running is an process that places enormous demands on muscle. During a workout, muscles undergo a variety of chemical reactions to extract energy from sugars and fats. This energy is critical for carrying out muscle contraction. The reactions can...
Aerobic respiration is a biological process that takes energy from glucose and other organic compounds to create a molecule called Adenosine TriPhosphate (ATP). ATP is then used as energy by nearly every cell in the body--the largest user being...
The term "aerobic" refers to the use of oxygen. Energy systems are the processes through which your body turns food or macronutrients into energy or ATP. Those energy systems that are classified as the aerobic energy systems are those that require...
Citric acid is an intermediate in a cycle of biochemical reactions in the body known as the Krebs cycle. The Krebs cycle is a vital part of the main energy-producing pathway in the body. It involves a series of chemical reactions that create...
Your body uses sugar, known as glucose, as the raw material for a form of energy called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. You get this sugar from your diet -- primarily from carbohydrate sources such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. When you...
Aerobic respiration is one process by which organisms utilize food sources to produce usable energy. In this case, organic compounds are oxidized through a series of reactions to produce an energy source called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. The...
The cells in your body require energy in order to operate correctly and keep you alive. Actions ranging from the beat of your heart and breathing to the movement of your arms and legs use energy, which consistently needs to be replenished over...
Most athletes understand that their bodies use the food they eat and the air they breathe to fuel their activities, but the mechanics of that metabolic process aren't usually understood. Aerobic respiration is the chemical process in which your...
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that is found in foods in two forms: free vitamin and protein-bound coenzyme form (biocytin). It was discovered during World War II, when chicks fed diets that were high in raw egg white developed skin rashes and...
Everyone knows that the body uses sugar for energy. Advertising claims that high glucose drinks and bars produce quick energy are made every day. However, fewer people know that sugar is used to create high-energy phosphate groups. These phosphate...
Whether you're jogging, sprinting or lifting weights, your body derives its muscle power from the oxidation of glucose and other energy-rich organic compounds. One key phase in this process is the Krebs cycle, a chemical pathway that begins and...
Sucrose is a type of disaccharide. Disaccharides are carbohydrates, consist of two molecules attached by a chemical bond. Sucrose consists of equal parts fructose and glucose, which are simple sugars. It is found in many plants. Foods containing...
Aerobic and anaerobic respiration are types of cellular respiration, the process by which living cells use up the free electrons produced during normal cellular metabolism to produce ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, the chemical compound used by...
Cellular respiration is a complex chemical reaction that serves to break down foods and provide energy to cells. During a workout, your rate of cellular respiration increases to meet your body's increased energy demand. The reaction itself, known...
Being overweight makes you susceptible to a wide range of health problems, and can make you tired as well. The most common way to determine whether you are overweight is to calculate your body mass index, or BMI. You can use a mathematical...
During aerobic respiration, cells obtain energy in the presence of oxygen through a series of reactions known as the citric acid cycle. Glucose is a molecule that provides a key reaction intermediate necessary for these reactions to occur. Glucose...
Aerobic exercise is universally recommended for losing or maintaining weight and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, but many people don't fully understand what experts mean by the term "aerobic exercise." Performing aerobic exercise...
The human respiratory system is designed to allow oxygen-rich fresh air to be drawn into your lungs through either your nose or mouth. While this design provides you with a back-up system for breathing in the event that you fracture your nose or...
In his book, “Return to Life Through Contrology,” Joseph Pilates wrote: “Breathing is the first act of life, and the last… above all, learn how to breathe correctly.” Movement through proper breathing is one of the...
The act of breathing brings fresh air into your body and eliminates the waste carbon dioxide gas produced by your metabolism. Ventilation, the flow of air into and out of your lungs, involves not only the lungs, but your respiratory passageways,...
Aerobic exercise is essential for increasing your heart rate and burning the necessary calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight. One of the pieces of exercise equipment people most commonly use to gain these benefits is the stationary...
Breathing is a fundamental process needed to sustain life. Still, it is only a part of the complex oxygen, carbon-dioxide swapping cycle called respiration. This process begins upon inhalation, allowing oxygen to flow deep within the lungs and...
The major difference between anaerobic and aerobic conditions is the requirement of oxygen. Anaerobic processes do not require oxygen while aerobic processes do require oxygen. The Krebs cycle, however, is not that simple. It is a part of a...
Glucose is a simple sugar that is used by much of the body to fuel individual cells. Glucose itself is not burned to fuel cells; instead, it is used to form chemical bonds that make high-energy molecules, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP)....
Cells need glucose--also known as blood sugar--as their source of energy. Once within a cell, glucose enters a series of reactions that accumulate chemical energy. Chemical energy is energy stored within bonds in molecules. The most important...
All carbohydrates -- from table sugar and bread to fruits and vegetables -- are made up of simple sugars, or monosaccharides. Fructose is one of three simple sugars. Most carbohydrate foods, to some degree, contain fructose and supply about 10...
Cellular respiration is divided into two categories: aerobic and anaerobic respiration. Aerobic requires oxygen, anaerobic does not. These energy-producing biochemical processes serve different functions. Anaerobic respiration provides energy...
The muscle cells are functional units designed to shorten which produces contraction of the muscle and movement. Since muscle cells are highly metabolically active, they depend upon the activity of many different enzymes. Skeletal muscle, in...
