El Dorado

Automobiles burn gasoline for energy. Humans burn sugars. And like a car with a poor combustion mixture (too much fuel/not enough air) problems inevitably result with the motor, and eventually there is a loss of horsepower. Scientists are now beginning to understand the elegant feedback mechanisms that our bodies use to perform this tricky balancing act. Much of the responsibility lies with a powerful molecule known as AMPK. Its so important, it has been given the nickname the fuel gauge of the cell. Just like the fuel gauge of a car, AMPK monitors and helps control the amount of energy available to drive the cells metabolism. Thus, maintaining healthy AMPK function is essential to having a well-tuned metabolism.