A natural weight loss healthy diet program |
Summary
Here we define the two types of metabolic reactions: anabolic and catabolic. We then describe the types of nutrients they employ, along with some of the metabolic fates of each.
There is an enormous amount of material that has been worked out by armies of biochemists and physiologists regarding all the processes that make up the topic of metabolism. It is a very involved and complicated process. What I am presenting here is a gross oversimplification. The purpose of this is merely to give some insight to the process, with a hope that a little understanding of it will enable the reader to achieve a healthier nutritional path and weight.
There are two classes of metabolic reactions. The first is called anabolism, which means assembling small molecules to build big ones. The second class is called catabolism, which means breaking down large molecules into smaller ones. Both types of processes are important in metabolism.
Almost all these reactions require a catalyst to proceed. In biochemistry, these catalysts are called enzymes. They are small proteins. They enable the reactions to proceed, but they are unchanged in the process.
In addition, these catalysts, or enzymes, need other materials to act as their helpers. These helpers are known as coenzymes. They are not proteins, and they are frequently related to the various B vitamins. They are just as important as the enzymes, which could not function without them.
Glucose, normally derived from the carbohydrates we eat, provides much of the energy we need. Some of it is the result of an anaerobic process (that is, one that doesn't require oxygen), but the vast majority of our energy needs are provided from a process(aerobic, that is requiring oxygen) involving both glucose and oxygen. The products produced in this aerobic process are carbon dioxide and water. We exhale the carbon dioxide, and we eliminate the water by respiration, perspiration and/or urination.
Fats, also known as triglycerides, can be broken down into fatty acids and glycerol. The glycerol, which is only about 5 % of the fat, can be converted to glucose, or it can be converted to energy, with the attendant production of carbon dioxide and water. The fatty acids are broken down aerobically to produce energy, carbon dioxide and water.
Proteins can also be used to furnish energy, but that is not their main function. Proteins are broken down into amino acids. These amino acids can be taken apart in the liver, and reassembled there to form other non-essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are the ones that we must get from our diet, because our liver cannot manufacture them. In this liver process, some ammonia is generated. Our liver combines that ammonia with carbon dioxide to form urea, which it sends to the blood. By drinking water, we keep the urea in solution so that it can be removed by the kidneys and excreted in the urine. The more protein you eat, the more water you should drink.
Protein is capable of fulfilling another vital role. Our nervous tissue, including our brain, has an absolute need for glucose. Fatty acids cannot be converted to glucose. Protein can. If our glucose level drops too low, perhaps because we haven't had enough carbohydrates, our body will start disassembling our lean muscle mass in order to produce the glucose needed.
If any of the three macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats or protein) is consumed in excess of our bodies' needs, it will be converted to fat, and stored in our adipose tissue.
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