Work

Balanced overall equation for the complete oxidation of glucose: Resolving a 30-year stoichiometric controversy

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Does glucose oxidation yield 6 or 10 H 2 O? Debated 30 years ago and revived in 2025, the question underlies a brain metabolic water budget built on C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 → 6CO 2 + 10H 2 O, which does not satisfy the law of conservation of mass. The balanced form, C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 + 4ADP 3− + 4HPO 4 2− + 4H + → 6CO 2 + 10H 2 O + 4ATP 4− , combines combustion (6H 2 O) with substrate-level phosphorylation (4H 2 O). This reconciles both answers, resolving the controversy. How much water is secreted per glucose depends on the fate of ATP; choosing 6 or 10 changes estimates of brain metabolic water by two-thirds.

Source: Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism

DOI: 10.1177/0271678x261496133

Authors: Yumiko Motoyama, Kei Wada, Nobuhiro Yukawa

Institution: University of Miyazaki

Language: English

Topic: Biomedical and Chemical Research

Subfield: Physiology (medical)

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Award: G9000847333