What is gluconeogenesis?

Gluconeogenesis is your body’s way of making new sugar from other stuff when it needs energy.

Imagine you're playing a game and you run out of coins. You don’t want to stop playing, so you find another way to get coins, maybe by trading in old toys or counting your steps. That's kind of like what gluconeogenesis does.

Your body uses glucose, which is the main type of sugar it needs for energy. But sometimes, like when you're fasting or exercising a lot, your glucose runs low. Instead of stopping, your body starts using other things, like pieces from old proteins and fats, to make new glucose.

This process happens mostly in your liver and kidneys. Think of them as the glucose factories of your body. They take different ingredients (like amino acids from broken-down protein or glycerol from fat) and turn them into new sugar, keeping you powered up even when you're not eating.

So gluconeogenesis is like a backup plan, it helps keep your energy levels steady, so you can keep playing (or running, or thinking!) without stopping.