When the body's stores of energy are depleted, the pancreas becomes involved because gluconeogenesis can convert pyruvate into glucose for energy.

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When the body's energy stores are depleted, the liver becomes involved by converting pyruvate and other simple noncarbohydrate precursors, such as lactate and amino acids into glucose for energy. This mechanism of energy production is a last-resort effort. The preferred source of energy is dietary glucose. Excess dietary glucose is stored as the polysaccharide glycogen in muscles and the liver. Later, when blood glucose levels decrease and the body needs energy, glycogen is converted back into glucose. Only when glycogen is depleted does the liver resort to gluconeogenesis.

When the Body's Stores of Energy Are Depleted, the Pancreas