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What Type of Organic Compound Is Glucose?

Glucose is a monosaccharide, a simple sugar, made available to the body through the digestion of carbohydrates. Glucose provides the majority of the body's energy requirements. It is absorbed through the small intestine and carried to the liver for immediate use or storage. Diabetes occurs when a person ineffectively or no longer assimilates glucose in the bloodstream for energy.

  1. Complex Carbohydrates Become Simple Sugars

    • Your body breaks down carbohydrates, beans, legumes, grains, fruits, vegetables, and the processed foods made from them into the simple sugars, fructose, sucrose, and glucose. Glucose provides your body's primary source of energy.

    Absorption

    • Once food is broken down in the mouth by saliva and the stomach's acidic juices, it travels to the small intestine where an enzyme separates the glucose from the other components to be absorbed by the intestinal wall. Glucose then travels into the bloodstream to the liver for immediate use or storage.

    Sugar

    • Table sugar is composed of fructose and glucose in nearly equal amounts. It goes immediately to the bloodstream upon reaching the intestine. The result is a quick spike in blood sugar levels.

    Insulin and Glucose

    • The pancreas releases the hormone insulin into the body when glucose is available for energy. It carries glucose through cell membranes providing energy for cellular functions.

    Glucose and Diabetes

    • Diabetes occurs in people who can no longer assimilate glucose efficiently or at all. This can happen for several reasons: the body does not produce enough insulin, it no longer produces insulin at all, or the cells have become insulin resistant--unresponsive to insulin's signal to accept glucose from the bloodstream. Diabetes can contribute to heart disease, nerve damage, and impaired vision according to information provided by the Joslin Diabetes Center at the University of Maryland.

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