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Cellular Fuel Partitioning

Meaning

Cellular Fuel Partitioning is the highly regulated, intracellular process by which a cell strategically directs available metabolic substrates, such as glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids, toward either immediate oxidative consumption for energy or storage as glycogen and triglycerides. This metabolic decision-making is fundamental to maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and is a key determinant of metabolic flexibility. Dysregulation in this partitioning is a hallmark of insulin resistance and contributes significantly to metabolic syndrome.