What happens to blood glucose when we exercise? How does this equation work?
Body movement and muscle contraction
Body movement requires muscle contraction and muscle contraction requires energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate(ATP) .
2. How is ATP generated in our cell?
After food digestion, carbohydrates and fats will be broken down to simple sugar known as glucose. Glucose will then be released into the bloodstream. Surge of blood sugar stimulates insulin release from pancreas. Insulin then directs the muscle and fat cells to take in glucose to be stored as reserved energy.
Mitochondria in our cell is capable of producing energy by utilising glucose, goes through a process called cellular respiration which produces energy in the form of ATP.
3. Some research in recent years suggested that:
Physical activity is proven to increase insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle.
Exercise not only increases sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin but also increases gene expression of an insulin regulated glucose transporter in skeletal muscle.
Exercise stimulates mitochondrial synthesis in our cell and this enhances their capacity to produce ATP.
Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to inefficient ATP production, causing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Exercise is proven the most effective way to reverse insulin resistance. Skeletal muscle, the major site for bioenergetics and metabolism during exercise is responsible for approximately 80% of the postprandial clearance of glucose.
4. The Car Analogy
If our muscle is a car, then mitochondria will be the engine and blood glucose is the fuel.
Moving car requires fuel consumption.
Unused car may end up with rusty engine.
Rusted engine results in poor vehicle performance.
Could you relate the situation?
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