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Nutrients and their metabolic pathways

Nutrients and their metabolic pathways

In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a linked series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. The reactants, products, and intermediates of an enzymatic reaction are known as “metabolites”. The metabolites are modified by a sequence of chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes. These enzymes often require dietary minerals, vitamins, and other cofactors to function.

In this video, Prof. Hsieh will explain how the energy is generated by our body and the roles of foods.

In the reading below, there are two interactive metabolic pathways map for you to take a look. All metabolites, enzymes, and selected pathways are searchable and interactive in the map.

The “backbone” of the map is the Glycolytic Pathway followed by the TCA (Krebs) Cycle and the Respiratory Chain which together lead to the synthesis of ATP by ATP Synthase.

Have a look at it and see if you understand the course content.


Educator:

Rong Hong Hsieh


This article is from the free online

Nutrition and Disease Prevention

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

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