ENERGY

GET READY TO ENERGIZE YOUR KNOWLEDGE

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Disclaimer: The content of this blog post, authored by Dr. Moran Sciamama-Saghiv, is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, dietary advice, or treatment. No doctor–patient relationship is created by reading or applying the information. Readers should always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making decisions related to medications, diet, exercise, or treatment. Neither the author nor any affiliated party assumes any liability for actions taken based on this content.

Energy comes in many forms, and often transforms from one form of energy to another. Energy in the body permits the conductance of processes necessary for staying alive and beyond. It is the ability to conduct work and thus a tool for the body to exist.

Energy is produced in the body, specifically in the cells, either with the participation of Oxygen or without. The participation of Oxygen in an energy producing process or the lack thereof, can make a great difference to many aspects of function, exercise, and sports performance.

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Processes that create energy where Oxygen does partake in the process are termed aerobic processes, while processes that create energy where Oxygen does not partake in the process are termed anaerobic processes. The body always fulfills the total energy requirement of a certain physical activity via both supply of aerobic and anaerobic energy. Thus, the true question becomes how much of the energy for a physical activity is aerobic energy, and how much is anaerobic energy?

Physical activities where most of the energy (>50%) was produced with the participation of Oxygen, are defined as aerobic activities. On the other hand, physical activities where most of the energy (>50%) was produced without the participation of Oxygen, are defined as anaerobic activities.

Aerobic energy producing processes tend to yield greater amounts of energy per the same substrate being used compared to anaerobic energy producing processes. For example, the aerobic breakdown (catabolism) of Glucose as a carbohydrate yields 36-38 ATP for every Glucose molecule, while the anaerobic breakdown (catabolism) of Glucose as a carbohydrate yields only 2-3 ATP. Since we are getting more energy for the catabolism of the same substrate, aerobic processes are more efficient in energy production.

Furthermore, as explained in the post "The Rules of Nature", greater energy and efficiency is associated with better survival chances. Thus, since aerobic energy production is more efficient and yields more energy per substrate, it becomes a preferred means for survival. Is it by chance that the vast majority of living forms on earth produce most of their energy aerobically? - absolutely not!

Since survival is the prime goal of living forms according to the rules of nature, the fact that aerobic processes are more efficient has driven the evolution of most living forms on Earth to become mainly aerobic in their energy production processes. In humans, the ability to produce energy aerobically is via the presence of Mitochondria (plural) in the cells. It is believed that in an early stage symbiosis occurred where our cells became one with another organism being the Mitochondria, which symbolizes the beginning of our cells being able to produce energy aerobically. This means that in the distant past, our cells were completely anaerobic.

Each energy production has its advantages and disadvantages, and none of them offers a perfect solution or package. While aerobic energy production is more efficient and results in more energy and less acidity created, it takes relatively longer to produce the energy than anaerobic processes. On the other hand, anaerobic energy production is faster, yet creates far less energy per substrate, and in some cases, increases acidity levels.

As a matter of principle, the greater the substrate being catabolized (broken down) the longer it will take, and the more overall energy will be obtained. Please note that more energy does not always translate to better efficiency. Thus, in average, proteins are bigger than fat, that are bigger than carbohydrates, and so is the total energy produced.

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