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Your liver doesn't convert fat to glucose, it converts it to ketone bodies (such as acetone) which the body can also use for energy instead of glucose.
by kyllo 12y ago
Your liver doesn't convert fat to glucose, it converts it to ketone bodies (such as acetone) which the body can also use for energy instead of glucose.
- toomuchtodo 12y agoWhoops! You're right. I had thought I read somewhere the brain requires another organ to convert ketone bodies to glucose, but it appears its the liver itself at cannot use ketone bodies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketone_bodies#Uses_in_the_heart.2C_brain_and_muscle_.28but_not_the_liver.29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketone_bodies#Uses_in_the_heart...
- kyllo 12y agoYeah, the liver has a separate metabolic pathway for converting non-carbohydrate organic compounds into glucose at a steady rate to regulate blood sugar and provide energy to the brain, it's called gluconeogenesis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis