Uses of Oxygen in the Body
Oxygen is essential for our energy and health. Unless the body gets enough oxygen, symptoms like fatigue, hyperventilation, fainting can arise and, in extreme cases, even death may occur.
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Role of Oxygen
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Any change in the concentration of oxygen affects the way the body breathes. The needed levels of oxygen vary from person to person and it relies solely on the body's ability to adjust and compensate for low oxygen. Oxygen is an indispensable element in the day-to-day survival of human beings as the body uses it for energy. The cells in the body need oxygen to keep them alive.
The Respiratory System
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The process of breathing involves the taking in of air and then expelling it. Air enters the lungs as muscles expand the chest outward. Then, the muscles contract forcing this air back out. It is a simple, elegant, and essential process for moving oxygen into the body. Air then moves through the trachea into the lungs at which point the hemoglobin in the red blood cells carry oxygen to the heart. Lastly, it returns the carbon dioxide to the lungs so it can be exhaled.
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Circulation
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The air continues through the bronchioles until it reaches tiny air sacs called alveoli. Here tiny blood vessels carry the blood past these alveoli for replenishment with fresh oxygen. The capillaries carry the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left ventricle of the heart. From there it is pumped out to all the different parts of the body through the arteries.
The cells receive the oxygen in the blood for renewal and the waste products like carbon dioxide are taken from the cells and transported through the veins to the right ventricle of the heart. There is very little oxygen left now in the blood and most of it is waste products. The blood is then pumped back to the lungs and the waste matter passes from the capillaries to the alveoli. This is expelled when exhalation takes place and the carbon dioxide is expelled from the body.
The Cellular Process
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Cellular processes require oxygen to burn the calories received from food. The general process that is used to transform food into energy is called respiration. This is the opposite of photosynthesis, where plants convert energy into sugar. Respiration does the reverse by changing sugar into energy. A circular sequence called the citrus acid cycle or the Krebs cycle drives this operation within the cell. The process enables the storage of energy in a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and this process uses oxygen and creates carbon dioxide and water.
Vital Element
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The presence of oxygen gives the body the ability to convert food to energy, and this occurs essentially the same way in the nerves, muscles, the heart and all body tissues. When deprived of oxygen, cellular respiration eventually comes to a halt and the cells die.
The building blocks of proteins (amino acids) have oxygen in them and, therefore, proteins also have oxygen as part of their molecular structure. It is the same with carbohydrates and fats. As these molecules comprise the major portion of body tissue, oxygen is thus a vital component in the material that makes up the human body itself.
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