Some cells, such as red blood cells, are only able to produce cellular energy from glucose. The brain is also highly sensitive to low blood-glucose levels because it uses only glucose to produce energy and function unless under extreme starvation conditions.
About 70 percent of the glucose entering the body from digestion is redistributed by the liver back into the blood for use by other tissues. Cells that require energy remove the glucose from the blood with a transport protein in their membranes. The energy from glucose comes from the chemical bonds between the carbon atoms. Sunlight energy was required to produce these high-energy bonds in the process of photosynthesis. Cells in our bodies break these bonds and capture the energy to perform cellular respiration.
Cellular respiration is basically a controlled burning of glucose versus an uncontrolled burning. A cell uses many chemical reactions in multiple enzymatic steps to slow the release of energy no explosion and more efficiently capture the energy held within the chemical bonds in glucose. The first stage in the breakdown of glucose is called glycolysis , which occurs in an intricate series of ten enzymatic-reaction steps.
The second stage of glucose breakdown occurs in the energy factory organelles, called mitochondria. One carbon atom and two oxygen atoms are removed, yielding more energy. The energy from these carbon bonds is carried to another area of the mitochondria, making the cellular energy available in a form cells can use. Cellular respiration is the process by which energy is captured from glucose. If the body already has enough energy to support its functions, the excess glucose is stored as glycogen the majority of which is stored in the muscle and liver.
The amount of glycogen in the body at any one time is equivalent to about 4, kilocalories—3, in muscle tissue and 1, in the liver. Prolonged muscle use such as exercise for longer than a few hours can deplete the glycogen energy reserve. The weakening of muscles sets in because it takes longer to transform the chemical energy in fatty acids and proteins to usable energy than glucose.
This shift is a vital survival method that allows humans to live without food for several weeks. Summary The body has alternative ways to provide energy and preserve muscle during starvation or very low-carb diets.
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The brain, nerve cells, and developing red bloods cells can only use glucose for energy. Each gram of carbohydrate in food provides four calories of energy. Glucose is the main carbohydrate that the body breaks down for energy. The major pathway by which glucose is broken down for energy requires oxygen, and the final products are carbon dioxide, water, and energy. In the muscles, if oxygen is in short supply, some glucose can be broken down for energy by a different pathway that does not require oxygen; however, the final products are lactic acid and energy.
Lactic acid builds up in the muscles and causes cramping. Dietary carbohydrates provide glucose that body cells can use for energy. Excess glucose beyond what the body needs for immediate energy is converted into glycogen, a storage form of carbohydrate, or converted into fat and stored in body fat cells. Glucose provides energy for all body cells.
The brain and nerve cells use only glucose for energy. If blood glucose levels fall too low, glycogen is broken down to provide glucose. Since glycogen stores are only enough to provide energy for a short time, the body needs a frequent supply of carbohydrates. Although many cells use fat for energy, the brain, nerve cells, and developing red blood cells can not. The body cannot convert fat into glucose to a significant degree. Thus, without glucose, the body is forced to break down its protein tissues to make glucose for energy, which can lead to muscle loss.
In addition, when the body uses fat for energy, fat fragments combine to form ketone bodies. Some body cells can use ketone bodies for energy, but if fat is broken down too rapidly, ketone bodies begin to accumulate in the blood.
This can cause a serious condition called ketosis that can lead to coma and death. The body needs at least 50 to grams of carbohydrates a day to spare body proteins and prevent ketosis.
Foods rich in complex carbohydrates, including grain foods; vegetables; fruits; and beans, peas and lentils, provide valuable vitamins and minerals and little fat in addition to starch and dietary fiber.
A diet rich in complex carbohydrates from these types of food offers many health benefits. A diet rich in complex carbohydrates can help with weight management and prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes and intestinal disorders. For these reasons, dietary recommendations encourage a diet rich in grain foods; vegetables; fruits and beans, peas and lentils.
Sugar has been the focus of many health concerns. During digestion, all carbohydrates, except fiber, are broken down into simple sugars.
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