What Is the Make Up of Glucose?
Glucose is a unit of energy that is used by plants, animals and people. In people, glucose is what the body uses to perform mental and physical activities. Glucose is a monosaccharide made from a single sugar unit. Table sugar made from cane sugar is a disaccharide made from sucrose and glucose. Glucose can be manufactured by hydrolyzing sugar into a syrup or by drying it into a powdered form.
From a chemical standpoint, glucose consists of 6 carbon atoms, 6 oxygen atoms and 12 hydrogen atoms.
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Features
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Glucose is a single-unit sugar that can be hooked up with other sugars. If glucose is joined with another sugar to form two units, it becomes a disacharride, such as maltose (malt sugar), or lactose (milk sugar) and sucrose, also known as table sugar, cane or beet sugar.
Significance
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Five to 6 g of glucose in the body--or about 1 tsp.--is enough to power the body and brain for about 15 minutes.
In healthy individuals, insulin is secreted by the liver every time food or liquid is consumed. This allows more glucose to be freed up and released into the bloodstream.
Type I diabetes happens when a person is unable to secrete adequate amounts of insulin. If someone is unable to produce adequate insulin, it is called Type II diabetes, and insulin shots will be required to help keep the individual's blood sugar levels healthy. -
Considerations
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Eating a sugary diet overworks the pancreas, as it must work harder to produce insulin to convert food into usable glucose. Glucose is the "fuel" that the brain and muscles use.
Not consuming enough sugar can result in low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. Overeating and flooding the bloodstream with too much sugar can result in excess glucose stored as fat.
History
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Sucrose was isolated from raisins by Andreas Marggraf in 1747. It was named sucrose in 1838 by Jean Dumas, from the Greek word "glycos," meaning "sweet" or "sugar."
Warning
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If you go on crash diets, this can create havoc with your blood sugar levels, especially if you consume less than 1,200 calories per day. This may result in your brain not getting glucose that it needs to perform basic functions.
Instead of fad diets, see your doctor or a nutritionist to design a safe eating plan to keep your blood sugar level and your brain and muscles working properly.
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