Abstract
Deficient glucose transport and glucose disposal are key pathologies leading to impaired glucose tolerance and risk of type 2 diabetes. The cloning and identification of the family of facilitative glucose transporters have helped to identify that underlying mechanisms behind impaired glucose disposal, particularly in muscle and adipose tissue. There is much more than just transporter protein concentration that is needed to regulate whole body glucose uptake and disposal. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent findings in whole body glucose disposal. We hypothesize that impaired glucose uptake and disposal is a consequence of mismatched energy input and energy output. Decreasing the former while increasing the latter is key to normalizing glucose homeostasis.
Highlights
One of the central metabolic features of type 2 diabetes in humans is decreased glucose disposal
While it is clear that both insulindependent GLUT4 trafficking and total cellular GLUT4 pool size play a critical role in glucose disposal, other glucose transporters and other factors influence glucose uptake in tissues including interstitial glucose concentration and intracellular glucose metabolism
Its functional role in the heart is independent of glucose transport and its Conclusions The clearance of glucose from the blood plasma following a meal is important for overall metabolic health
Summary
Faculty Reviews are written by members of the prestigious Faculty Opinions Faculty. They are commissioned and are peer reviewed before publication to ensure that the final, published version is comprehensive and accessible. The reviewers who approved the final version are listed with their names and affiliations. Any comments on the article can be found at the end of the article
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