AMPK is an enzyme that regulates energy in the body. The main role of AMPK is to increase energy levels when needed, as well as to help store energy when demand for it is limited.

AMPK is responsible for making energy available for use and for conserving energy stores. Because it is an energy regulator, it is activated when exercise, or other energy-expending processes, use ATP. If levels of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or adenosine monophosphate (AMP) (which are “spent”, low-energy forms of ATP) are elevated, AMPK begins breaking down glucose and fat to increase the amount of ATP available for energy usage. In contrast, if there are elevated levels of ATP compared to AMP and ADP, then AMPK will not be activated and will conserve the body’s energy as fat or glycogen. This is the main reason that AMPK is known as the energy regulator of the body: it is involved in both energy-increasing and energy-saving pathways.^[1]