How+does+sugar+give+you+energy?+Part+1

Does Sugar Give You Energy? //George A.// // 2011 //

// Energy: From the Beginning // Before Sugar is even made, there is a whole process as to how we collect sugar. When the suns form of energy, light energy is shot to earth, plants are able to absorb the light energy and change it into chemical energy. With the water from the soil and the carbon dioxide from the air, the plant manages to convert the chemical energy into sugar (sucrose). Humans then eat the plant that olds the sugar or an animal eats the plant and then a human eats the animal. The sugar, or sucrose, is made up of two monosaccharides, fructose and glucose.

// I Got the POWER! // First, you digest and absorb the sugar. Then, Enzyme “sucrase” splits fructose and glucose apart. Lastly, the blood absorbs the sugar and gives the sugar to the liver. The liver converts the fructose into glucose because fructose is not needed in the steps to create energy. Nearly all organisms must have oxygen to break down the chemical bonds of glucose to release the stored energy. This process is called Cellular Respiration. The glucose and the oxygen break down the sugar and create Co2, water, and energy. The energy is then transferred to another chemical compound called ATP. ATP is used when a cell needs energy. ATP is a more advanced topic and would take much more confusing information to simplify!

// Too Much SUGAR! //  Sugar as you all know is a quick energy giver and is easily digestible. It is a quick energy giver because of its high glucose content. But, as everyone has been taught, having a candy bar every day cannot be good for you. However, too much sugar can lead to obesity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that 150 pounds of sugar is consumed by the average American and that 32 teaspoons of sugar a day are added by the American diet but the average amount is 10 teaspoons a day. As a result America is the most obese nation in the world. If your body consumes too much sugar for you energy needs, glucose is changed into glycogen. Glycogen – the form in which carbohydrates are stored in the liver and muscles inmanand animals. When the organism which the glycogen is stored in fills up, the left over glucose is converted into fat acids and then is changed again into triglyceride. Triglycerides are stored in your adipose tissue, or fat. This is then how you get overweight.

Glossary: Chemical Energy - is the potential energy that comes in a small, microscopic form. Monosaccharides - Basic Sugar. Glucose: The primary form of energy for cells. Glycogen – theforminwhichcarbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles inmanand animals. Sucrose – Sugar Chemical Energy - thatpart of the energy in asubstance that can be released by a chemical reaction



Citations: //Cellular Respiration: Releasing Stored Energy By Breaking Down Glucose//. Prod. Ancient Lights. Ancient Lights, 2001. //Discovery Education//. Web. 22 September 2011. . Cracknell, James – //Body Science// – London – DK, 2009 – Print - Stephen Christensen,” How Does Sugar Give You Energy?” Livestrong.com. 2011, Livestrong Inc., Last updated on: 06/22/11 .Web. 9/22/11. "**plant.**" //Compton's by Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2011.

< []