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1/ #ThinkLikeAnEngineer
I once again just heard the axiom, “Glucose is the preferred fuel source to the body.” Actually, a different way of looking at it is that storing glucose in large quantities is hard, storing fat in large quantities is easy. Is that important?
I once again just heard the axiom, “Glucose is the preferred fuel source to the body.” Actually, a different way of looking at it is that storing glucose in large quantities is hard, storing fat in large quantities is easy. Is that important?
2/ Imagine you have several food items in two categories.
The first food item is EatSoon, which can be easily eaten and refrigerated, but to put it in the freezer takes some time and effort.
The other is EatWhenever, which can be eaten, refrigerated, or frozen right away.
The first food item is EatSoon, which can be easily eaten and refrigerated, but to put it in the freezer takes some time and effort.
The other is EatWhenever, which can be eaten, refrigerated, or frozen right away.
3/ So you get home with two giant bags of groceries, one full of EatSoon and one full of EatWhenever. But your refrigerator can only hold one bag of these items.
Do you fill it with EatWhenever, taking the time and effort to prepare the EatSoon for the freezer?
Do you fill it with EatWhenever, taking the time and effort to prepare the EatSoon for the freezer?
4/ Or do you instead refrigerate the EatSoon and put most or all the EatWhenever in the freezer, which takes substantially less effort?
But wait, it gets better…
But wait, it gets better…
5/ Remember how I said EatSoon needs to be prepared for the freezer? Well imagine that preparation is to literally turn them into EatWhenever.
That really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
Why spend any effort turning EatSoon into EatWhenever if you don't have to?
That really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
Why spend any effort turning EatSoon into EatWhenever if you don't have to?
6/ If you haven't guessed by now, EatSoon is glucose, EatWhenever is fat.
Glucose can be stored as glycogen, but there's very limited capacity (100-120g)
But fat can be stored in fat cells (adipocytes) of which you have a very large capacity (tens to hundreds of pounds)
Glucose can be stored as glycogen, but there's very limited capacity (100-120g)
But fat can be stored in fat cells (adipocytes) of which you have a very large capacity (tens to hundreds of pounds)
7/ And yes, if you want to store a truly large amount of glucose, you need to turn it into fat, which takes some chemical effort and work.
If you want to store a large amount of fat, it takes very little effort overall.
If you want to store a large amount of fat, it takes very little effort overall.
8/ So is that glucose is the preferred fuel over fat?
Or is it perhaps that given the general choice between using one and storing the other, the body is often wisely storing the one substrate that takes the least amount of work to do so?
Or is it perhaps that given the general choice between using one and storing the other, the body is often wisely storing the one substrate that takes the least amount of work to do so?
