Glucose, or blood sugar, is the most common carbohydrate known to man. Glucose is the main sugar and is the most universal source of energy used, from humans all the way down to lowly bacteria. All of the “ose” compounds such as sucrose and fructose are sugars too, but our body treats glucose differently from the other “ose” compounds.

Everyone has heard how bad sugar is for us – it makes us gain weight, causes children to bounce off walls and causes spikes in our energy levels. Glucose is a “good guy”, an essential nutrient for our bodies and our metabolism. It is the primary source of energy for the brain which is why when our blood sugar is low our thought process is impaired. What most people don’t realize is how critical glucose is as a precursor. A precursor is a compound that participates in a chemical reaction that forms another compound. Glucose is a precursor in the production of proteins and vitamin C and is necessary for the synthesis of cellulose, lactose and sucrose. Cellulose, lactose and sucrose could not be processed by our bodies if glucose wasn’t there to help. So for our body to operate efficiently and effectively – it needs glucose.

The body breaks down carbs into glucose so it can be stored for later energy use. Then when we need it, our body converts the glucose to energy by way of aerobic respiration. But if we just keep storing and storing the glucose and not using it up, that’s when we start piling on the pounds. At that point the glucose is turned into fat cells for more efficient storage. That’s why to burn fat you need to stay in the aerobic range of exercise.

Where glucose gets a bad rap is when we eat bad carbohydrates that the body can process into glucose very rapidly. The glycemic index classifies carbs by how quickly and how high they boost blood sugar. Carbs with a high glycemic index cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. Conversely, carbs with a low glycemic index are digested more slowly and therefore cause a more moderate change in blood sugar.

Bottom line – glucose is a friend that can turn on us very quickly. For it to be our friend, we can’t let it stay in our bodies too long without burning it up while staying away from the bad carbs that our body can turn into glucose in the blink of an eye.

This is just a short primer on glucose but we will delve deeper into the more complicated sugars and how our body treats them in later articles.

Resources:

1) Carbohydrates: Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health, 2007, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates.html (last visited Jan. 14, 2008).

2) Glucose, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glucose&oldid=184113759 (last visited Jan. 14, 2008).

3) Ophardt, Charles E., Virtual Chembook, Elmhurst College, c 2003, http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/543glucose.html, (last visited Jan 14, 2008).

About the Author

Cherie Bernard-Frobish

Cherie is a wife, mother of 3 and a business owner living in San Clemente, CA. She owns Suddenly Slim Body Wraps & More, a slimming spa, whose motto is, ”Successfully Blending Health and Beauty Into One”. Having dealt with weight issues her entire life, Cherie is particularly interested in diet, nutrition, exercise and healthy lifestyles. She has personal experience with almost every diet and weight loss system treatment known, both healthy and unhealthy. After having liposuction and developing blood clots, she vowed never to subject her body to anything that unhealthy again. That event started Cherie on her path to a healthier lifestyle. As a paralegal for over 13 years, she developed a love for research. Now she uses that skill to study nutrition and exercise for herself and her clients.