"Dana Carpender" > wrote
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis
>
> http://web.indstate.edu/thcme/mwking...eogenesis.html
>
> The body is perfectly capable of making glucose with no dietary
> carbohydrate whatsoever. That makes carbohydrates inessential by
> definition.

Gluconeogenesis is used by the body when carbohydrates are limited or are
not in sufficient quantities to produce glucose. Producing glucose from
amino acids (glutamine and alanine for instance), glycerol and and lactate
is a response by the body when carbohydrates are *unavailable*.

Hardly an argument for "carbohydrates are inessential".