Question

List the route of "Sally" sugar molecule from the pasta on a fork to its providing nutrition to the cardiac muscle. This is JUST a list of structures [from the mouth to where the food is absorbed into the blood to the muscle]. Be complete.

Answer 1

Once food (pasta) is taken it is first digested in mouth, chewing action breaks down food into smaller particles, action of saliva enzyme makes digestion of carbohydrtates, (glucose is a carbohydrate) the tongue than pushes these molecules into pharynx than into the esophagus, peristalic motion pushes glucose like molecules into the stomach, from the stomach it enters duodenum where glucose is absorbed, as soon as glucose is absorbed into the blood, the pancreas release hormone like insulin, insulin acts on glucose so that glucose is pushed into the cells, so that cells can utilize these glucose molecules as source of energy, ( the sugar glucose is transported by active transport from the gut into intestinal epithelial cells, but by facilitated diffusion across the membrane of red blood cells.) any excess glucose remaining is sent to the liver, where glucose is stored in the form of glycogen, when ever body needs these glucose, the liver breaks down these glycogen molecules and releases it into the blood, some of the remaining glucose is transported to muscles, by specific transporter known as GLUT-4, and stored there, but the skeletal muscles, unlike liver cannot release these glucose molecules into the blood as they lack a particular enzyme, instead they use these glucose molecules as source of energy, particularly when the physical intensity increases. Some amount of glucose which is remaining is stored in adipose cell also and released when ther is high metabolic demand.