Cellular Respiration: How Your Body Turns Food Into Energy

Cellular respiration is the process that turns food into usable energy.
It happens in mitochondria, often called the “powerhouses” of the cell.
Glucose and oxygen fuel the reaction, producing energy, carbon dioxide, and water.
The main energy currency made is ATP—adenosine triphosphate.
Each molecule of glucose can yield up to 36 ATP molecules.
Cellular respiration includes glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain.
Oxygen is crucial for efficient respiration, which is why we need to breathe.
Anaerobic respiration occurs without oxygen but produces much less energy.
The carbon dioxide released is what we exhale with every breath.
This process powers everything from muscle movement to brain function.