- After a surplus of carbohydrate is eaten, insulin is released from the pancreas.
- If muscle and liver glycogen stores are depleted say after intense exercise, these glycogen stores will be replaced and any surplus will be converted to fat as a form of energy storage for a ‘rainy day’
- Insulin binds to its receptor and causes the GLUT4 receptors bound to the membranous vesicle to migrate to the adipose cell membrane.
- Insulin causes a 30-fold increase in the rate of transport of glucose through GLUT4 receptors into the fat cell [adipocyte]1
- The organelles including mitochondria, are displaced to the periphery by the large central fat droplet which stores the triglycerides formed from glucose.
- The liver also uses the excess glucose to form triglycerides which are then packaged into VLDL [very low-density lipoprotein] which in turn transport the liver produced triglycerides to adipocytes for storage.
NutriDesk Tutorial
- An excess of carbohydrate in the diet will result in high blood glucose levels.
- The liver and adipocytes are flooded with glucose.
- This tutorial will explain how inhibition the glycolytic pathway and the Ci tric Acid Cycle beyond Citrate occurs.
- Lipogenesis [fat synthesis] is thus stimulated
- To understand the biochemical mechanisms of fat synthesis and how fat accumulation and obesity occurs, please click on the Free Tutorial graphic
References.
Salway, J. and D. Granner (2004). Metabolism at a Glance, Blackwell Pub. [p 28]