What is glucose?
What is glucose?
Glucose is a simple sugar found in food. Glucose is an essential nutrient
that provides energy for the proper functioning of the body cells.
Carbohydrates are broken down in the small intestine and the glucose in
digested food is then absorbed by the intestinal cells into the bloodstream,
and is carried by the bloodstream to all the cells in the body where it is
utilized. However, glucose cannot enter the cells alone and needs insulin to
aid in its transport into the cells. Without insulin, the cells become starved
of glucose energy despite the presence of abundant glucose in the bloodstream.
In certain types of diabetes, the cells' inability to utilize glucose gives
rise to the ironic situation of "starvation in the midst of plenty".
The abundant, underutilized glucose is wastefully excreted in the urine.
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