How far you can go on blood glucose alone

Sports & Exercise
1

Here are approximates of how far you can get from the different carb sources, if these were the only fuel sources available.
(In reality, you always use a combination of whatever fuel sources that are available, not just a single source.)

These are approximates based on a 80 kg man who runs at a pace that expends 80 kilojoules of energy per minute:

  • 9 miles in 72 minutes = 1200 calories = muscle glycogen storage (in legs only)

  • 3 miles in 24 minutes = 400 calories = liver glycogen storage

  • 0.3 miles in 2 1/2 minutes = 40 calories = blood glucose*
    (*the value for blood glucose includes the glucose content of substrates and extracellular fluid)

The entire amount of free glucose in the blood provides only a 40 kcal energy reserve, which is enough to maintain this activity for only about 2.5 minutes. The rest of it comes from stored glucose (glycogen) or fat metabolism.

End of wiki ---------- comments start here

6 Likes
2

This is great info. We should make it a will!

1 Like
3

I think it is:

image

1 Like
4

You are right, I did not notice. I added it to the sports wiki table of contents and put up the usual wiki format at the bottom.

1 Like