Most organisms require oxygen to function, but some find it toxic. The human body uses an aerobic system, but can also use an anaerobic system for short bursts of activity. ATP is produced during respiration, and lactic acid is a toxic byproduct of anaerobic respiration. Oxygen debt must be repaid after anaerobic activity.
Most organisms, including humans, need oxygen to function normally and survive. There are some organisms that don’t require oxygen and actually find it toxic. There is also a group of organisms that can function both in the presence and absence of oxygen. A system that requires oxygen is called an aerobic system and one that does not require oxygen is called an anaerobic system.
Most of the cell activities in the human body need oxygen in order to carry out their daily functions. However, there are some tissues that are able to function briefly without oxygen. An example is muscle cells. Muscles can work for a limited amount of time using an anaerobic system before oxygen is required. Even for a short period of anaerobic work, there are pretty serious repercussions that need to be corrected.
Over long periods of continuous activity, such as distance running, your muscles will use an aerobic system and burn oxygen to provide the energy needed to maintain the activity. For short bursts of vigorous activity, such as sprinting, muscles can break down glucose molecules in the absence of oxygen. An anaerobic system is often used for a short time when the blood can’t carry oxygen quickly enough to the working muscle cells. Unfortunately, this system cannot be used indefinitely for a variety of reasons.
Energy is stored in cells in a chemical called adenosine triphosphate or ATP. Usually, enough ATP is stored within muscle cells to allow about 20-30 seconds of activity before more needs to be produced. ATP is produced during respiration by the breakdown of glucose molecules within cells. Depending on whether oxygen is available, aerobic or anaerobic respiration will produce ATP. The aerobic system is much more efficient and produces much more ATP, but the anaerobic system is what is used for the first few minutes of exercise.
Another product of respiration is carbon dioxide. When the amount of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream increases, it stimulates the heart to pump faster. This in turn causes more oxygenated blood to be transported throughout the body, including to the muscle cells which require it to continue breathing and produce additional ATP. If oxygen levels decrease in the cells, the anaerobic system for respiration will resume.
Lactic acid is a toxic product of anaerobic respiration in humans. If the anaerobic system continues for any length of time, it will begin to build up in the tissues. The buildup of lactic acid causes your muscles to fatigue and can cause painful side effects such as a muscle cramp. This oxygen debt must be repaid as soon as possible after the activity ceases. Fast, deep breathing helps get as much oxygen into the body as possible, which is used by cells to break down lactic acid into carbon dioxide and water.
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