Final answer:
When eating a candy bar, you're consuming simple sugars or carbohydrates, that are digested into glucose for immediate energy or stored as glycogen for later use. These sugars start being digested in the mouth and fully break down into monosaccharides in the small intestine, eventually being used in cellular respiration to produce energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carbohydrates in Candy Bars
When eating a candy bar, you are primarily consuming simple sugars, often in the form of sucrose (table sugar) or high-fructose corn syrup. These are types of carbohydrates that provide energy for your body. The body digests these sugars into glucose, which can then be used immediately as an energy source or stored.
Digestion and Energy Production
The digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth where salivary amylase starts breaking down starches into smaller sugar molecules. This process continues in the small intestine with the aid of pancreatic amylase, finally resulting in monosaccharides like glucose that the body can absorb. Once inside the body, glucose is used in cellular respiration to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary energy carrier in cells.
Storage of Excess Carbohydrates
Excess carbohydrates from the diet are stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. This reserve can be later used for energy when needed. In cases where glycogen stores are full, the body may convert and store the excess glucose as fat.