This week we are studying how nutrients affect fluid balance. We can’t live without fluid. The human body is about 70% water. That means every chemical reaction that takes place in our body takes place in the presence of water. Without adequate water, chemical reactions necessary for life is slowed down or stopped. The amount […]
Electrolytes like sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) play a key role in the transfer of nerve impulses. Nerve impulses are created by stimuli in the environment such as sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. If the stimulus is strong enough, reaching a threshold of -55 mV, an action potential is triggered. In other words, the […]
The body has different ways in which it can regulate energy metabolism; that is, decide whether to increase energy or reduce energy production. Three ways are highlighted in this lesson. Allosteric Inhibition and Activation When there is lots of ATP, cells do not have to work so hard to make more. Therefore, it uses a […]
Role of Vitamins So far we have established that vitamins do not provide energy. However, they help to unlock the energy from macronutrients. They do this by acting as coenzymes at various stages of glycolysis and the TCA cycle. Here a list of vitamins and their role in energy metabolism. Thiamin (B1) Converted to thiamin […]
Protein is an important body-building raw material. The body prefers to use it for that purpose rather than to “cash it in” to make energy. It has glucose and fats to do that. However a small percentage (about 10%) is used to make energy and even more in times of starvation. So far you have […]
So far you have learned that following digestion of fatty acids they are packaged in the form of triglycerides and transported to cells via chylomicrons or stored in adipose (fat) cells until they are ready for use. From chylomicrons or adipose tissue, triglycerides are broken down by lipase enzymes by a process called lipolysis to release glycerol […]
