What is considered the body's energy currency?

The body's energy currency is ATP, or adenosine triphosphate. ATP serves as a primary energy carrier in all cells, facilitating various biological processes. When cells need energy, they break down ATP to release the stored energy, which is utilized for tasks such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, and biochemical synthesis.

While glucose is an important energy source, it must first be metabolized and converted into ATP before cells can use it for energy. DNA, on the other hand, stores genetic information and does not play a direct role in energy transfer. Proteins, although they can provide energy through metabolism, primarily serve structural and functional roles in the body, rather than functioning as a direct energy currency like ATP. Thus, ATP's role as an immediately accessible and usable form of energy makes it distinctly important in cellular metabolism.