Why Your Blood Needs Glucose (Know The Benefits)
Do you know why your blood needs glucose?
Glucose is an essential part of a healthy diet and is found in many different kinds of food. It provides energy to the body, and its in your blood at all times.
In this blog post, we’ll explain why your blood needs glucose, how it helps you stay healthy, and which foods are the best sources of glucose.
What is glucose and what does it do in the blood?
Table of Contents
Glucose is a simple sugar and a primary source of energy for the body. It is the most important carbohydrate found in the blood.
It is formed by the breakdown of carbohydrates during digestion, and is also produced by the liver and kidneys.
The body uses glucose as a source of energy for cells and tissues, and is stored in the liver and muscle as glycogen.
How does glucose help the blood?
When we eat carbohydrate foods, they are broken down into glucose and other sugars, which are then absorbed into the blood.
The pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that helps the body’s cells to absorb glucose and uses it for energy. Insulin also helps to store glucose in the liver and muscle tissue for later use.
In this way, glucose helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and provides the body with the energy it needs to function well.
What are the benefits and functions of glucose in the blood?
Glucose has several benefits, and it performs certain functions in the blood, including:
- Energy source for cellular respiration
- Normal brain function
- Healing wounds
- Production of white blood cells
- Producing hormones
- Formation of red blood cells
- Maintenance of blood pH
Is glucose good for your blood?
Yes. Your blood needs glucose for the body to perform it’s daily activities such as producing and storing energy, synthesis of proteins, and other biochemical processes that enables the body to work. Here are the reasons why your blood needs glucose.
Energy production
Glucose is the source of energy for your body’s cells and tissues. It is used by cells to produce energy through a process called cellular respiration.
Without enough glucose in your blood, your cells would not be able to work well and you would feel fatigued and weak.
Brain function
Your brain depends on glucose as a source of energy. It is necessary for normal brain function and can affect cognitive abilities such as memory and attention.
If there’s low glucose in your blood, you may experience brain fog, confusion, and lack of concentration.
Wound healing
Glucose is necessary for the healing process of wounds and tissue repair. Without enough glucose, your body may not be able to repair damaged tissues.
Immune system
Glucose helps in the production of white blood cells that fights off infection and disease. If your blood glucose levels are too low, your immune system becomes weak and you may be more susceptible to infections.
Balance of Blood pH
Glucose helps to maintain the pH balance of the blood by buffering acidity levels.
If your blood glucose levels are too low, your body may not be able to maintain the pH balance, which can lead to serious health problems.
Preventing ketosis
Glucose prevents the production of ketones, a byproduct of fat metabolism that can be toxic to the body if in large quantities.
What foods provides glucose?
There are many different foods that provide glucose. Some examples include:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
- Pineapple
- Mangoes
- Bananas
- Potatoes
- Yam
- Corn
- Cereals
Are glucose dietary supplements available?
Yes. There are multivitamin-mineral glucose supplements available, often in a form of tablets, capsules and syrups. Here are some of the glucose dietary supplements from our best picks:
- Transcend glucose shots – mixed berry
- Revive MD, glucose RX
- Total glucose control
- Jarrow formulas glucose optimizer
- Nature’s way blood sugar manager
- Life extension glycemic guard
- NOW supplements, GTF
- NOW supplements, GlucoFit
- Glucose SOS glucose powder
- Blood sugar advanced herbal formula
- GI glucontrol
- Lift fast-acting glucose chewable energy tablets
Which groups of people don’t get enough glucose?
There are several groups of people who may not get enough glucose, including:
- People with hypoglycemia
- People with physically demanding jobs
- People following low-carb diets
- People with eating disorders
- Elderly people
- People with malabsorption issues such as celiac disease
What are the deficiency symptoms of low blood glucose?
Low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, occurs when the level of glucose in the blood drops below normal.
The symptoms of low blood sugar can vary depending on the individual and the severity of the deficiency.
Some common symptoms include:
- Sweating
- Shaking
- Hunger
- Dizziness
- Nervousness
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Blurred vision
- Pale skin
Which medications interferes with glucose in the blood?
Here is a list of medications that can interfere with glucose levels in your blood:
- Insulin
- Glipizide
- Glyburide
- Glimepiride
- Sitagliptin
- Canagliflozin
- Acarbose
- Aspirin
- Atenolol
- Prednisone
- Cortisone
How much glucose do you need in your blood?
Glucose is obtained from many carbohydrate foods. Thus, the average recommended daily intake of carbohydrates for different age and sex groups is listed below in grams (g):
- Infants 0-6 months: 40-60 g/day
- Infants 7-12 months: 95 g/day
- Children 1-3 years: 130 g/day
- Children 4-8 years: 130 g/day
- Children 9-13 years: 130-175 g/day
- Teen boys 14-18 years: 175-225 g/day
- Teen girls 14-18 years: 145-165 g/day
- Adult men: 130-175 g/day
- Adult women: 130-165 g/day
- Pregnant women: 175-225 g/day
- Breastfeeding mothers: 210-290 g/day
Is glucose harmful to the blood?
Too much glucose in the blood over a long period of time can cause hyperglycemia, a common symptom of diabetes.
High blood sugar increases the risk of developing complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, nerve damage and blindness.
Takeaway
Glucose is good for balancing blood pH, production of hormones, making white blood cells, forming red blood cells, and metabolism of amino acids and fats.
Glucose provides the energy your body needs for daily activities. Most of the biochemical processes that occurs in the blood, tissues and cells requires glucose to carry out certain functions.
If you want to get enough glucose eat carbohydrate foods. Dietary Supplements can also help but it should not be taken in excessive amounts as this may lead to several health problems such as diabetes.
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