ABSTRACT
The human organism captures and converts potential chemical energy from food macro-nutrients into usable chemical energy forms in a way similar to most living cells on earth. Adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) is the most important energy carrier molecule in the cell that directly supplies chemical energy to the cellular machinery which can be converted into cell work. The phosphagen system is named for the two high energy phosphate compounds, ATP and phosphocreatine, which enter into coupled energy transfer reactions. The first stages of glucose degradation are always anaerobic and thus the designation is anaerobic glycolysis. More power is generated as the duration of work is shortened; nutritional practices should support this concept. Calculation of energy expenditure and energy intake, sometimes called “calories” or “joules,” needed for optimal nutrition for sport and activity depend on these measurements. The greatest reserve of energy in the body is found in the adipocytes, whose only function is to store fat or triglyceride.
