Exercise & Metabolism

• Metabolism - the sum of all reactions that occur in a single cell or body
• Things that increase to get more oxygen into our muscles:

  • heart rate
  • breathing rate
  • breath volume
• Oxygen dept - the amount of extra oxygen needed to react with build-up lactic acid and remove it from our cells
• Blood flowing through the muscles transports the lactic acid to the liver where it is converted into glucose
• Examples of metabolic reactions:

  • Glucose molecules joined together to make bigger carbohydrates (e.g. starch)
  • Lipids broken down into glycerol and fatty acids
  • Glucose and nitrate ions combined to make amino acids, which are used to make protein
  • Excess protein makes urea (which is toxic)