Biochemical Fuels Are Broken Down to Release Energy

The Biochemistry of Movement > 9.7.1. ATP is the energy currency of every living cell > Biochemical Fuels Are Broken Down to Release Energy >

Explain that biochemical fuels are broken down to release energy for making

• Biochemical fuels include fats (for long-term storage) and carbohydrates (main, faster source of energy).
• These different fuels are broken down into glucose, which is used for aerobic respiration to produce energy.
• Respiration (both aerobic and anaerobic) is a series of steps and reactions that help release energy from glucose.
• 1 glucose molecule yields 38 ATP: 2 from glycolysis, 2 from the TCA cycle, and roughly 34 from the Electron Transport Chain.
• There are four steps to the aerobic respiration process: Glycolysis, Acetyl-CoA, the TCA cycle, and the Electron Transport Chain (ETC).