Requirements for Metabolism Flashcards
Metabolism (18 cards)
What are nutrients?
Any substance in food that is used for growth, repair or maintaining the body; that is, any substance required for metabolism
What are the six groups of nutrents?
Water, carbohydrates, lipids, lipids, proteins, minerals and vitamins.
What are organic compounds?
Molecules that have a carbon chain. They also contain several hydrogen atoms and may include atoms of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur.
What are carbohydrates?
The main source of energy for cells.
What is the function of simple sugars?
Simple sugars, particularly glucose, are used in cellular respiration to release energy
What is the function of starch?
Complex carbohydrates, such as starch, are broken down to simple sugars.
What do carbohydrates contain?
All carbohydrates contain atoms of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen: there are twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms.
Provide an example of lipids
Include fats and oil and are another important energy source
What are lipids broken down into?
They are broken down to fatty acids and glycerol.
What happens to glycerol as a result?
The glycerol can then enter the glycolysis pathway of cellular respiration and is broken down to release energy in a similar way to glucose.
What are proteins?
Organic compounds that are made up of many amino acids.
Regarding metabolism, the most important proteins made are enzymes
How do enzymes influence metabolism?
Enzymes influence metabolism by controlling the chemical reactions that occur in the body.
What is the function of proteins?
Proteins can also be used as a source of energy, but only if the supply of carbohydrates and lipids is inadequate.
What do proteins contain?
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, and often sulfur and phosphorus.
They are made up of large numbers of smaller molecules called amino acid.
What are inorganic compounds?
- Not based on a carbon chain.
- Most don’t contain carbon atoms at all, but those that do, such as carbon dioxide, are small molecules.
- Some important inorganic compounds are water, minerals and vitamins.
What is the function of vitamins?
Act as coenzymes for many of the chemical reactions of metabolism
What is the function of minerals?
Important for metabolism because they may be a part of enzymes.
May function as cofactors for enzymes, or may be part of substances such as ATP that are involved in metabolism.
What is the function of water?
Is important in metabolism because it is the fluid in which other substances are dissolved.
Some of the cell’s chemical reactions occur in water, and other water molecules take part in the reaction.
