Where do the carbon atoms that we are exhaling come from?

Question

Where do the carbon atoms that we are exhaling come from?

In: 5

Answer 1

Our bodies run on glucose, which is a simple sugar made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Our mitochondria (part of the cell) oxidize glucose into carbon dioxide and water as they produce ATP. (Which is what cells actually run on.) So basically the source of the carbon we exhale are the carbohydrates we eat. (Which get converted to glucose as part of digestion.)