What is Aerobic Respiration and Why is it Important?

Aerobic respiration is important because our cells use this process to convert oxygen and food into the energy that we depend on for life.

Gas exchange may not seem like a thrilling concept, but the ability to exchange gas is the reason why you and nearly every creature on this planet are alive. In particular, our evolutionary ancestors spent at least a billion years perfecting the exchange of two gases: oxygen and carbon dioxide. Almost every cell in your body needs a constant supply of oxygen and also needs to remove carbon dioxide to survive.

Oxygen is essential because our cells use aerobic respiration to convert oxygen and food bits into the energy that we depend on for life. There are many biochemical reactions that create aerobic respiration, but for simplicity’s sake, this article will focus on a central concept: no oxygen = no energy. Organic fuel and other molecules are also required for energy, but oxygen is the only piece of this molecular puzzle that is restocked from outside your body every 4-5 seconds.

What is Aerobic Respiration?

Aerobic respiration is a series of biochemical reactions that convert oxygen and organic fuel into carbon dioxide, water and high-energy molecules. The process starts when organic fuel undergoes digestion in the stomach, intestines, and liver, which are then broken down and transferred into the blood. Oxygen is transferred to the bloodstream via gas exchange in the lungs. 

Next, both oxygen and organic fuel move from blood into the body’s cells, where they are used in a series of chemical reactions. These cellular biochemical reactions produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Carbon dioxide is transferred back into the blood, water remains inside the cells or moves into other body fluids and high energy molecules usually remain inside the cell it was formed to support the cell’s activity. The full aerobic respiration chemical equation is illustrated below.