Glucose isn't bad for your body, despite its sometimes bad reputation on the Internet and in popular nutrition articles. In fact, you need it to survive. However, you don't necessarily need as much of it as you get in your diet, and you may want to cut back on your ingested glucose.
Glucose Molecule
The glucose molecule is a carbohydrate, and more specifically a monosaccharide, which means it's a building block of larger carbohydrates. It's made up of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and it has a ring-shaped structure. It's ubiquitous; not only is it the most common carbohydrate in nature, it's one of the most common molecules in nature as well. Almost all living organisms rely upon glucose as a source of energy, humans included.
Uses Of Glucose
Your cells -- particularly your brain and muscle cells -- rely upon glucose as an important source of energy. Your muscle cells can use proteins and fats for energy if you're not working very hard, but during intense efforts, you have to burn glucose, Dr. Lauralee Sherwood explains in her book "Human Physiology." When you consume glucose, you can burn it right away or store it for later use in the form of the carbohydrate glycogen.
Eliminating Glucose
You can eliminate glucose from your diet, but not from your body; your cells work hard to maintain a supply of glucose for themselves and especially for your brain. If you don't eat glucose, your cells will make it out of other sugars and out of certain amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham explain in their book "Biochemistry." To eliminate glucose from your diet, you'd have to avoid all common carbohydrates except pure fructose.
Considerations
It's actually not wise -- nor is it advisable -- to try to eliminate glucose from your diet completely; it causes your cells to have to work particularly hard to produce it and makes them less efficient. Even if you're diabetic, you need glucose in controlled quantities and forms. If you're worried about the amount of glucose in your diet, talk to your physician or health care professional for information on what to eat and when.
References
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D. and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
