Question

biomolecules on the menu

1. “sugar” is another word for monosaccharide. which food, spaghetti or steak, would be broken down to sugar in the small intestine?

go to the “pancreas, liver, and gallbladder” section by selecting the “next” button.

1. if someone experiences liver failure (i.e., their liver is not working), what would happen to digestion in their small intestine?

go to the “large intestine” section by selecting the “next” button.

1. explain why eating the spaghetti would produce bulkier feces (i.e., more poop) than eating the steak.

once food is digested, the resulting nutrients can get into cells. to find out how, select the “next” button to go to the “how do nutrients get into cells?” section.

1. what other molecule does the bloodstream deliver to cells so that they can convert the energy in nutrients into usable energy (i.e., atp)?
2. as cells produce atp, they also form the following byproducts: carbon dioxide, water, and heat. what happens to each of these byproducts?

select the “next” button to go to the “how are nutrients used for energy?” section. read the “overview” and “nutrients to storage” pages.

1. in between meals, cells do not receive any nutrients from food, so they use energy - rich molecules stored in the body.

a. which main storage molecule would be produced from eating spaghetti?
b. which main storage molecule would be produced from eating steak?

1. what needs to happen to storage molecules before they can be used for energy?

Explanation:

1. Monosaccharides are simple sugars. Spaghetti is a carbohydrate - rich food and steak is a protein - rich food. Carbohydrates are broken down into monosaccharides during digestion. Since spaghetti is a source of carbohydrates, it would be broken down to sugar (monosaccharides) in the small intestine.
2. The liver has many functions in digestion, such as producing bile which aids in the digestion and absorption of fats. In liver failure, bile production may be impaired, leading to poor fat digestion and absorption in the small intestine. There may also be issues with detoxification and metabolism of nutrients.
3. Spaghetti is high in carbohydrates, especially complex carbohydrates like starches. These are broken down to simpler sugars during digestion. However, it also contains some indigestible fiber. Steak is mainly protein. The indigestible fiber in spaghetti adds bulk to the feces, resulting in bulkier stools compared to steak which has less indigestible material.
4. Oxygen is delivered by the bloodstream to cells. Cells use oxygen in the process of cellular respiration to convert the energy in nutrients (such as glucose) into ATP.
5. Carbon dioxide is transported by the blood to the lungs and exhaled. Water is either excreted by the kidneys as urine, lost through sweating or exhaled as water vapor. Heat helps maintain body temperature and is dissipated to the environment.

22a. Eating spaghetti, a carbohydrate - rich food, leads to the production of glycogen, which is the main storage molecule for carbohydrates in the body.
22b. Eating steak, a protein - rich food, leads to the production of fat (triglycerides) as the main storage molecule when excess amino acids are converted and stored.

1. Storage molecules like glycogen and fat need to be broken down. Glycogen is broken down to glucose (glycogenolysis) and fat is broken down to fatty acids and glycerol (lipolysis) so that they can be used in cellular respiration to produce ATP.

Answer:

1. Spaghetti
2. Fat digestion and absorption may be impaired, and there may be issues with nutrient metabolism and detoxification.
3. Spaghetti contains indigestible fiber which adds bulk to feces.
4. Oxygen
5. Carbon dioxide is exhaled, water is excreted or lost through sweating/ exhaled, heat is dissipated to maintain body temperature.

22a. Glycogen
22b. Fat (triglycerides)

1. They need to be broken down (glycogen to glucose, fat to fatty acids and glycerol).