Glucose as fuel for HPA axis regulation: A narrative review on energy metabolism, stress reactivity, and early life adversity.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing existing literature without systematic review methodology or new empirical data.
PubMed 42631098 · doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2026.100374
What was done
This targeted narrative review synthesizes literature from the past 30 years regarding blood glucose as a physiological modulator of acute hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress reactivity. It interprets these findings using the Selfish Brain Theory framework and discusses potential implications for chronic stress and early life adversity.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data, effect sizes, or participant numbers. It qualitatively notes that fasting attenuates cortisol reactivity, whereas glucose administration restores or amplifies it, framing the endocrine stress axis and sympathetic nervous system as systems that prioritize cerebral energy supply under acute stress.
Why it matters
The paper contextualizes the biological link between energy metabolism and neuroendocrine stress regulation, highlighting how metabolic state may influence susceptibility to stress-related and metabolic disorders.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic search protocol, quality appraisal, and meta-analytic synthesis. The abstract provides no specific study details or quantitative metrics, relies on theoretical models, and notes that findings are largely constrained to controlled laboratory environments rather than everyday life.
Cited by
- supports Glucose is the major fuel for human cells, especially brain cells, and directly affects brain function, mood, and energy levels.