Principles of human energy metabolism

Abstract

Energy is defined as the ability of a system to perform work. Energy is present in many forms, such as luminous energy coming from sun or kinetic energy obtained from wind and water. Humans obtain their energy from foods which is stored in the CH bonds of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and alcohol. To obtain the energy to live, grow, and reproduce, organisms must extract it in a usable form from plants and/or animal foods. This potential chemical energy is liberated inside cells through oxidative pathways that convert these CH bonds to energy-rich molecules such as creatine phosphate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.