Draw the structure of a mitochondrion as seen in an electron micrograph. Describe the central role of acetyl (ethanoyl) CoA in carbohydrate & fat metabolism.[5]

c) Discuss the importance of a balanced diet for people with varying energy needs. [8]

A balanced diet is a diet which contains vitamins, minerals, and other necessary particles for the normal function of the body, but also a balanced diet is balanced so it doesn’t contain any of these in excess or lacking in. For a person to remain healthy they must have a balanced diet. If there are excessive amounts of energy left in the body it may cause obesity. Everyone has different energy needs, for example an 80 year old needs less energy than a 14 year old. Different people have different needs depending on their age, amount of action done in a day, their physical condition and gender. The more physically active a person is the more energy they require; an Olympic athlete needs more energy than a science teacher. So the Olympic athlete needs more energy so they need to take in lots of carbohydrates and sugars that can be broken down easily and quickly to provide them with the ATP the need. A science teacher will need fewer carbohydrates than the Olympic athlete because the teacher doesn’t need a quick energy supplier so they tend to eat fats and carbohydrates. Most of the energy gotten from fats is stored in the body therefore this is not useful if you need the energy immediately. Also pregnant women need more energy than me because she needs to supply herself and the child with energy. During times of growth you also need more energy than usual because you body is growing and it needs extra energy.  Also someone who isn’t that physically active should require less energy than someone who is very physical active. There is a trend that men need more energy daily than a woman.