Your metabolism
Perhaps one of the wildest used terms; all the chemical and physical processes that your body employs to convert food into fuel (energy), the production of proteins, fats, nucleic acids and the elimination of nitrogen waste are just an overview of the purpose of metabolism.
An understanding of how chemical energy is transformed from macronutrients (the carbohydrate, protein, fat, and alcohol in food) to storage forms (such as ATP), and how the stored energy is used to synthesize needed compounds for the body, is fundamental to the study of human nutrition.
The basics of human metabolism
Cells are the very essence of life; these are the basic, living, structural and functional unit on the body. They vary in size, composition and function but for convenience of this post I will be talking about cells with a nucleus in general.
Cells move, grow, ingest food and excrete wastes, react to their environment, and even reproduce. Inside the cell composition there is the mitochondria which is responsible for most of the production of energy (ATP) from glucose molecules and fats, there is also the nucleus; the core of the cell, inside resides the DNA and all your unique genetic information and responsible for protein synthesis .
It’s all about balance
Our body it’s in constant activity to maintain what it’s called homeostasis, which it’s to maintain balance and body functions as optimal as possible all of the time. To do this, every single reaction in the body it’s signaled, and has direct impact among other reactions, blood glucose it’s a good example.
When blood sugar drops below threshold, muscular activity leads to release of the hormone epinephrine by the adrenal medulla. This after a series of reactions stimulates the production of glucose from glycogen, which is a carbohydrate chain stored in the liver and muscle mass.
In contrast, when blood glucose levels are elevated, the hormone insulin, secreted by the beta-cells of the pancreas, this promotes the diffusion of glucose into the cell membrane.
Putting it together
Although a skim overview of cellular composition and function, we can see the importance of keeping a proper environment for the body so it can keep with its regular functions at optimum balance. To do this we must provide the body with the macro and micro nutrients necessary to maintain optimal cellular life cycle and function.
There exist different metabolic pathways for each macronutrient each with its own products and function; in the follow up we will review the pathways and some “hacks” we can apply to our own metabolism.