Sugars and starches get digested to produce glucose, which is the form of energy preferred by every cell in your body. They also have the advantage of being converted into energy faster than fats and protein. Inside your cells, special structures convert glucose into the chemical that stores and carries energy: ATP. read more
Carbohydrate is the major source of energy in the body, but protein and fat too can be used for energy production in time of emergency. When a system is deprived of energy, the body can convert protein to carbohydrate in form of glucose in order to provide the necessary energy. read more
Your muscles, hair, skin, organs, enzymes, antibodies and hormones depend on proteins. In short, proteins have other essential jobs to fill. If you don't have enough carbohydrates or fats to meet your energy needs, amino acids from dietary protein are converted into energy. Each gram of protein equals four calories. read more
Other proteins act as receptors to detect the concentrations of chemicals and send signals to respond. Some types of hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, are lipid steroids, not proteins. Other Protein Functions. Proteins perform essential functions throughout the systems of the human body. read more