Describe the journey of a glucose molecule from its formation in a plant, to you eating it from a

piece of meat, to your brain.

Glucose is formed though photosynthesis which is the how plants make their food. This takes place
in the chloroplasts of plants which contain chlorophyll and during photosynthesis light energy is
absorbed by the chlorophyll in the chloroplasts and energy is then used to convert carbon dioxide
from air the plus water from the soil into glucose.

This is then converted into starch for storage although some glucose is used immediately used by
the cells of the plant. Starch is insoluble so it stores it in the cells of the plant to provide an energy
store for when it is dark or when light levels or low and because starch is insoluble it doesn’t have to
worry about it having an effect on the water balance of the plant.

This is then eaten by cows which digest the starch and convert this back into glucose which they use
for respiration for energy although some starch is still left within the animal for an energy store

Then these cows are killed and turned into beef and when you eat this beef it passes into the
salivary glands. Amylase is produced in the salivary glands which is a carbohydrase. Because of this
the digestion of starch starts in the mouth. Amylase is also produced in the pancreas and the small
intestine although no digestion happens in the pancreas. All the enzymes made in the pancreas then
flow into the small intestine. The beef first goes to the stomach from the salivary glands where the
stomach lining secrets hydrochloric acid which creates the ideal conditions for protein digesting
enzymes to work. This food then passes into the small intestine where bile is squirted onto it which
makes the semi-digested food alkaline so it creates the ideal conditions for enzymes in the small
intestine such as amylase. The Bile also emulsifies the fats in your food.

The amylase then digests the starch in the beef into glucose and this glucose is diffused into the
bloodstream. This glucose then reaches the brain where it is used for respiration by cells in the
brain. But glucose is used by all cells in your body by respiration.

But when you digest a meal large of amounts of glucose pass into your blood and so the pancreas
controls the amount of glucose in your blood. It constantly monitors blood glucose concentration
and controls it using two hormones known as insulin and glucagon.

When your blood glucose concentration rises above the ideal range after you have eaten a meal,
insulin is released which travels in your bloodstream to the target organs which are the muscles and
the liver and excess glucose is converted into glycogen which is stored in the liver .

But when you exercise your blood glucose concentration falls and if this falls below ideal range the
pancreas released glucagon and this makes your liver break down glycogen converting it back into
glucose and in this way stored sugar is released back into the blood.