Which is the main energy producing component of food? Name the elements which make it.?

Question

Which is the main energy producing component of food? Name the elements which make it.?

Answer 1

My science tells me that there are three basic elements in food; fats, carbohydrates and proteins. You can add to these minerals and vitamins. Fats, Complex Carbohydrates and Proteins all need to be digested to be absorbed. It is like breaking down a chain into its individual links. Only then can they cross from the gut into the bloodstream. Simple carbohydrates, sugars like sucrose and glucose, can be absorbed into the blood directly.

All three food groups produce energy, but protein is usually used to build muscles and body tissues. The body only "burns" proteins to produce energy if there is either too much in the diet or too little food to get required energy from the other two groups.

The body uses a chemical called ATP to store energy. It is created by the "burning" of sugars. So the simple answer would be the simple sugars are the main energy component of food and as they are carbohydrates, the actual basic elements that make them are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

There is a lot more to the carbon cycle and ATP than this, which is why biochemistry, my specialty, is so fascinating.

PeteR

Answer 2

carbohydrates

Answer 3

Calories.