ATP & Glucose

Your body needs both glucose and ATP (short for adenosine triphosphate) for energy. Glucose is a type of sugar found in carbohydrates. Your body breaks down glucose to produce ATP.

Background

• Plants take in the solar energy of the sun and convert it to chemical energy through a process called photosynthesis. You then take in this chemical energy whenever you consume vegetables (or carbohydrates).

Processes

• The first phase in the process of releasing the energy stored in carbohydrates is digestion. Digestion works to break down carbohydrate molecules into sugar (usually glucose). Once digestion is complete, glucose gets absorbed into your bloodstream, transported throughout your body and taken up by your body's cells. Here the process of cellular respiration takes over to produce ATP.

Function

• Cellular respiration works to break down the chemical bonds of the glucose molecule, releasing the stored chemical energy. The energy released from glucose is used to power the manufacturing of ATP.

Misconceptions

• Your body doesn't actually run on glucose. Glucose is just a fuel. ATP is the true energy currency of your body.

Other Types

• The other two types of energy-containing food molecules, fats and proteins, are synthesized by both plants and animals using carbohydrates as a base. Through cellular respiration your body also breaks down fats, and sometimes protein, to use the energy contained in the chemical bonds of these molecules to manufacture ATP. But the glucose coming from carbohydrates is your body's primary fuel type.