Adenosine Triphosphate

How do we get the energy to run, to work, to live? In fact, how do all animals get energy to do everything they need to do? The answer: Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP. ATP transfers energy from the breakdown of food in your digestive system to cellular processes. Think of it as a wallet full of money. Just as a wallet carries money that you spend, ATP carries chemical energy spent by cells. You get energy from ATP when the third of three phosphate groups is removed, releasing energy in a reaction. To bring back this third phosphate group is a very complicated process done by a large group of proteins in your body. In fact, if just one of these proteins is faulty, ATP will not be produced. So, next time you're doing a difficult task, know that ATP is hard at work making sure you've got energy!

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