How Your Body Turns Food Into Energy (And What Happens When It Doesn’t Work Right)

When you eat, your blood sugar (also called blood glucose) goes up. In response, your body releases insulin. Insulin acts like a key, unlocking your cells so sugar can get in.

Once inside the cell, the sugar goes to your mitochondria, tiny engines that turn it into energy called ATP. This energy powers almost everything your body does.

But for many people, especially those with conditions like type 2 diabetes or PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), the cells don’t respond well to insulin.

This is called insulin resistance. When that happens, less sugar enters the cells, and your body can’t make enough energy. Over time, this can lead to more health problems.

Let’s look at how this process works and how three nutrients; lipoic acid, carnosine, and taurine can help support healthy blood sugar and energy levels.

Your Cells Need Nutrients to Make Energy

Turning food into energy is a complicated process. Your cells rely on nutrients (called cofactors) to keep everything running smoothly. It has sensors that collect information from outside and machines inside (called organelles) that work together to make energy.

Just like machines need fuel and maintenance, your cells need nutrients to work properly. Let’s take a closer look at three helpful ones.

Lipoic Acid

Lipoic acid (also called ALA) is a natural compound found in both plants and animals. Your body makes some of it too, but this slows down with age. Lipoic acid helps fight damage from free radicals (as an antioxidant), and it also supports how your body uses sugar for energy.

One of the most interesting things about lipoic acid is that it may act a bit like insulin. It can help bring more sugar into your cells by increasing the number of glucose transporters (called GLUT4) on the cell surface, even when your body is insulin resistant.

What the research shows

In one study, 32 women with PCOS took 400 mg of lipoic acid every day for 12 weeks. After that, they had:

• Lower blood sugar

• Lower insulin levels

• Better insulin sensitivity (measured by HOMA-IR)

• Improved liver insulin function (measured by HIE)

This suggests lipoic acid may help your body use insulin better and make more energy from sugar.

Carnosine

Carnosine is a natural compound that helps reduce inflammation, supports antioxidants, and keeps blood sugar levels in check. It also helps protect your body from something called glycation. 

This is when sugar sticks to proteins in your body and forms harmful substances called AGEs (advanced glycation end products). AGEs can make it harder for your body to control blood sugar and insulin.

What the research shows

In a lab study, muscle cells from people with type 2 diabetes were treated with carnosine. After four days:

• The cells used more sugar when insulin was present

• There were fewer harmful AGEs (like methylglyoxal)

Another review looked at 174 people from different clinical trials who took 1–2 grams of carnosine daily for up to 12 weeks. They had:

• Lower fasting blood sugar

• Lower HbA1C (a long-term blood sugar marker)

• Lower insulin levels

• Better insulin sensitivity

Carnosine helps the body handle sugar better and may protect against long-term damage.

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid your body makes using other amino acids. But in times of stress or illness, your body may need more. Taurine is found in animal-based foods but not in plants.

Taurine supports your body’s antioxidant systems and helps prevent AGEs from forming. It also appears to help with cholesterol levels and blood sugar control in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

What the research shows

A review of five studies (219 people total) found that taking 1–3 grams of taurine daily for 2 to 16 weeks led to:

• Lower HbA1C

• Lower fasting blood sugar

• Better insulin sensitivity

Slightly lower insulin levels (though this wasn’t statistically significant). These results suggest taurine can help balance blood sugar and support overall metabolic health.

Better Blood Sugar Starts with the Right Nutrients

When your body can’t turn food into energy the right way, it can leave you feeling tired, foggy, and off balance. Nutrients like lipoic acid, carnosine, and taurine play a big role in helping your cells use sugar and make energy.

If you’re not getting enough from food or if your body needs extra support, quality supplements can help. At Curated Wellness, we make it simple to find trusted, research-backed options that support your energy and blood sugar naturally.

Top Recommended Supplements to Support Energy Production in the Body:

Alpha-Lipoic Acid - Thorne

Alpha-Lipoic Acid supports liver detoxification, has antioxidant effects supportive of nerve health, and helps support mental sharpness. It is an antioxidant in both water-soluble and fat-soluble tissues.

Zinc-Carnosine - Integrative Therapeutics

Zinc Carnosine contains the PepZinGI® brand of zinc-carnosine to support healthy gastrointestinal mucosa and relieve mild gastric discomfort. After years of development, a Japanese company produced PepZinGI, a novel patented crystalline chelate compound consisting of L-carnosine and zinc.

Taurine 1000mg - Pure Encapsulations

Taurine is the most abundant free amino acid in the brain, heart, and nervous system, and it plays a role in the healthy functioning of the brain, heart, gallbladder, eyes, and vascular system. It facilitates the passage of sodium, potassium, and, possibly, calcium and magnesium ions into and out of cells, and electrically stabilizes cell membranes.