Urinalysis - The Carter Center

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constituents of urine.
4.1 Determination of Urinary Sugar (Glucose)
Introduction
Glucose, a monosaccharide, is the principal sugar in blood, serving the
tissues as a major metabolic fuel. It is mainly the end- product of
carbohydrate digestion, which provides energy for life process. When
body requires energy glucose oxidized to pyruvate and then to acetyl-
CoA and enter cycle Krebs (tricarboxilic acid,TCA,cycle). Along these
metabolic processes it gives energy in the form of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP). ATP is very important energetic organic compound
used for proper body function. When glucose is not required for the
body’s immediate energy needs, it is converted to glycogen and stored
in liver and muscles by the metabolic process called glycogenesis. When
there is an excess glucose in the blood (specially after carbohydrate
meal), it can be also converted to fats. Glucose first oxidized to acetyl-
CoA through glycolysis. The formed excess acetyl-CoA and then
converted to fats to be stored in the tissue. When it is required to
maintain the blood glucose level, particularly during starvation, glycogen
is converted to glucose by glycogenolysis. For maintaining the blood
glucose level, it can be synthesized from non-carbohydrate precursors
like amino acids, glycerol, lactate and etc. by the metabolic process,
which is called gluconeogensis. The blood glucose level is controlled by
a hormone, insulin, which is produced by the beta-islets of Langerhans
of the pancreas. Insulin lowers the content of the glucose in the blood
and increases its utilization and storage in the liver and muscle as
glycogen. The absence or lower production of insulin resulted in
Diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by an elevated blood glucose