![]() ![]() Glucose can be used immediately as fuel, or can be sent to the liver and muscles and stored as glycogen. Carbohydrates, such as sugar and starch, for example, are readily broken down into glucose, the body's principal energy source. (See table 2.1, Estimated Energy Stores in Humans.) The body can store some of these fuels in a form that offers muscles an immediate source of energy. This energy takes three forms: carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Our daily food choices resupply the potential energy, or fuel, that the body requires to continue to function normally. To sustain physical activity, however, cells must constantly replenish both CP and ATP. It's another high-energy compound that can be rapidly mobilized to help fuel short, explosive efforts. Creatine phosphate (CP), like ATP, is also stored in small amounts within cells. ATP, in fact, is the only molecule able to provide energy to muscle fibers to power muscle contractions. Anytime you need energy-to breathe, to tie your shoes, or to cycle 100 miles (160 km)-your body uses ATP molecules. Think of ATP molecules as high-energy compounds or batteries that store energy. As potential fuel sources, the carbohydrate, fat, and protein in the foods that you eat follow different metabolic paths in the body, but they all ultimately yield water, carbon dioxide, and a chemical energy called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Our ability to run, bicycle, ski, swim, and row hinges on the capacity of the body to extract energy from ingested food. This is an excerpt from Endurance Sports Nutrition-3rd Edition by Suzanne Girard Eberle. ![]()
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