Recent advances in understanding glucose transport and glucose disposal

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.