Glucose
Definition
Glucose is a simple sugar that is the human body’s preferred energy source. Its levels within the blood are regulated by hormones such as insulin and glucagon. Glucose also refers to dextrose, a typical bulking agent for artificial sweeteners, and glucose syrup, though glucose syrup may range from 10-90% glucose.
Health considerations
Insufficient blood glucose may lead to extreme difficulty with mental and physical operations, weakness, and nausea. Continuously elevated blood glucose may lead to the development of type II diabetes. In pregnancy, continuously elevated blood glucose can also cause negative health effects for the fetus and is a risk factor for later disease, including obesity and diabetes.
Keep in mind
While glucose within the body is essential to human life, the body is capable of extracting it from complex carbohydrate sources (as well as deriving it from fat and protein). It is also noteworthy that refined glucose sources do not inherently support health. Consumption of glucose leads to higher levels of blood glucose than consumption of sugars such as fructose.
May be found in
Most everything
References
Alternative Spellings and Names
D-glucose, dextrose, corn sugar, grape sugar
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