Sugar is the molecule that is broken down during cellular respiration.
Glucose is a relatively large molecule and contains more energy in its bonds than smaller molecules. Therefore, by breaking it, energy is released that the body can use to perform its vital functions.
This breakdown occurs in cellular respiration, which is a catabolic process in which a fuel molecule, glucose (sugar), whose energy is trapped in the form of ATP (universal source of energy), is oxidized.
Glucose is oxidized and degraded to carbon dioxide and water, producing ATP.
The production of energy in the form of ATP generates heat, so ATP cannot be released all at once, but must occur gradually, in several stages: glycolysis, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation.
Therefore, we can conclude that sugar, which is the molecule that initiates respiration, is the molecule that is broken down during cellular respiration, which releases the energy stored in the chemical bonds of glucose.
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