Final answer:
The liver converts excess carbohydrates into fat by synthesizing glycogen and converting excess glucose to fatty acids, which are stored in adipose cells. Carbohydrates also provide the energy in the form of ATP that is necessary for protein synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The body converts excess carbohydrates into fat tissue through a process beginning in the liver. Excess carbohydrate and ATP are utilized by the liver to synthesize glycogen. Once glycogen stores are full, additional glucose molecules are broken down through glycolysis to produce pyruvate, which is then converted into fatty acids. These fatty acids are stored within adipose cells, the fat cells in the mammalian body primarily responsible for storing fat for later use. Hence, the correct answer to how the body converts excess carbs into fat tissue is a. By enzymatic breakdown in the liver.
As for how carbohydrates fuel protein function, carbohydrates provide the energy necessary for various metabolic processes including protein synthesis. This is because the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose and subsequent metabolic pathways, such as glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, generates ATP, the cellular energy currency. Therefore, the correct answer to this part of the question is c. Carbohydrates provide energy for protein synthesis.