Cellular respiration is a process wherein cells try to use up and break down various substances and particles from food items and convert them to usable energy. Without this process, the various cells in the body will not have the energy needed to perform their functions. Cells that help muscles contract for example will not be able to perform this important function if they do not undergo cellular respiration. The whole body will be rendered useless and dead if the cells are not able to function and do what they are supposed to do. These functions can only be performed using energy from flood and this energy will not be produced if there is no cellular respiration. This process is therefore important and vital to life at the cellular level.
The basic process of cellular respiration starts with the breakdown of food items. This part of the process is referred to as glycolysis. This process literally refers to the breakdown or “lysis” of glycogen or the sugar from food. Once this process is done, food molecules go through another process of conversion and these will eventually become ATP or adenosine triposphate. This compound is considered the energy molecule that is produced via cellular respiration. With ATP, cellular processes are literally powered to continue or keep going. With food intake, more ATP will be produced through cellular respiration and these will be stored by the body for immediate and/or future use.
Different food items contain different nutrients, substances, and particles. These substances do not immediately become useful to the body because they need to be converted to ATP or energy. This is where cellular respiration comes in and through this process, all the food that people eat will be used up and processed by the cells to provide energy for various important and essential activities.
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