All about glucose
When we talk about glucose, we immediately think of a sweet and caloric nutrient to avoid. Yet it is an essential nutritional element for the body to function well. Zoom on this simple sugar, real fuel of the body.
What is glucose?
Glucose is asimple sugar, ormonosaccharide, with a low molecular structure. This nutritional element, present in many foods, has the main function ofproviding energy to the cells of the human body. But it also fulfills aconstitutive role, because it enters into thevery composition of cells and tissues.
What is the role of glucose in the body?
To fully understand how glucose provides energy, it is important to understand themechanisms inherent in its storage and release.
- When carbohydrates are consumed (whether simple or complex),digestive enzymes “cut” them into different molecules, including glucose molecules, to allow theirproper assimilationby the body.
- Then, the pancreas enters thescene: it secretes, in more or less important quantities, ahormonecalled insulin. Its function is tometabolize carbohydrates by promoting the absorption of glucosepresent in the bloodby the cells of adipose tissue, liverand skeletal muscle. It is thereforehypoglycemic, lowering blood sugar.
- Glucose, to be storedproperly in the cells, must undergo another modification: glycogenesis. Thus it is transformed intoglycogenby an enzyme, glycogen synthase, ortriglycerides.
- Finally, when the body needs energy, but does not benefit from immediate food energy intake to compensate for it, it will draw on its reserves. To release these reserves, the stored glycogen must be converted into glucose. This is whereglucagon, a hyperglycemic hormone secreted by the pancreas, comes in.
The glucose present in the food therefore undergoes transformations, depending on whether it is stored or used.
Finally, it should be noted that glucose is used by the body to:
- meet energy needs infasting periods (typically, duringsleep) ;
- respond to muscle activity, including intense exertion;
- maintain body temperature ;
- ensureoptimal brain function – the brain is glucose-dependent.
What are the dietary sources of glucose?
The glucose molecule is also present in the sugars of complex carbohydrates , like starch.
In the case of Simple Sugars , such as galactosegoldfructose , these will be transformed into glucose by the intestinal mucosa , before assimilation.
Thus, all carbohydrates are potential sources of glucose for the body.
Foods containing glucose include:
- the fruits;
- the vegetables;
- tubers (root vegetables);
- legumes ;
- sweet products – sweets, cakes, chocolate, sweet drinks , industrial products with added sugar;
- dairy products.
Should we be careful with our dietary glucose intake?
Case of hyperglycemia
Yes, because too much glucose can lead to hyperglycemia , that is, abnormally high blood glucose levelstag. If the hyperglycemia is occasional, nothing serious. But if it isongoing , caused by a diet too rich in glucose, it can Degenerate into metabolic problems : overweight , insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, then type 2 diabetes .
Case of hypoglycemia
- insufficient energy intake , typically during too drastic a diet or food deprivation;
- the significant absorption of carbohydrates (especially simple) during a meal, which can generate a sudden insulin peak, then an equally sudden drop in blood sugar. this isReactive hypoglycaemia .
Which foods to favor?
To prevent these phenomena, it is therefore necessary to control its dietary intake of glucosetag. Better still, it is essential to refer tothe glycemic index of the foodsthat we consume. It describesThe glycemic power of a food, that is to say its effect on blood sugar levels after ingestion . Foods with a low or moderate GI allow better control of increases and decreases in blood sugar , because their nutritional composition is complex (combination of slow sugars and Fibers). Thereby :
- whole grains, pseudo-cereals (amaranth, quinoa), legumes, greenvegetables, fresh fruits, fermented dairy products, nuts and seeds have a low GI, less than 55;
- whole grains, basmati rice, bananas,dried fruits, tubers, cucurbits (squash, butternut), unfermented dairy products have an average GI, between 55 and 70;
- refined cereals (white flour), table sugar (which is not glucose, but sucrose), processed products (industrial dishes, bread, chips…), sweets (sweets, biscuits, sodas…) have a high GI, above 70.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.