Why is glucose an important energy source?
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Dr. Michael T Murray answered:While fat is the preferred energy source in most tissues, the brain is critically dependent upon glucose as its energy source. If blood glucose levels were to drop below a certain minimum value, death would occur in a few seconds. Therefore, there are a lot of very sophisticated feedback and control mechanisms which ensure that the brain has a constant, steady supply of glucose to prevent you from simply running out and falling over dead.
The majority of glucose in the body is derived from dietary carbohydrates. There are two groups of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, are naturally found in fruits and vegetables, but most of the simple sugars consumed in developed countries are in the form of refined sugar like sucrose (white sugar). Complex carbohydrates include starch and other, larger carbohydrate molecules.
While fat is the preferred energy source in most tissues, the brain is critically dependent upon glucose as its energy source. If blood glucose levels were to drop below a certain minimum value, death would occur in a few seconds. Therefore, there... More
