Where does the carbon in exhaled air come from?

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As in the tilte, does human body produce it, (and if how?) or does it get from other source?

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The carbon in exhaled CO2 comes from the carbon contained within the foods we eat. Carbon is the building block of life, so much so that organic chemistry just means “the study of carbon”. Fats, carbohydrates, and proteins are all made of carbon (with a few other elements mixed in). When you metabolize these molecules, you are making them undergo chemical reactions very similar to combustion (which is why we say burning calories). These reactions break down the energetic carbon-carbon bonds in the food molecules, and capture that energy to make ATP. Then, the carbon is released at CO2 and water (just like the byproducts of a combustion reaction!)

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