Regulating glucose

• Blood glucose concentration is the amount of sugar in our blood stream.
• Our cells need a constant supply of glucose for respiration
• If blood glucose it too high it can damage our tissues
• changes in glucose levels are detected by the pancreas
• the pancreas releases insulin which will bind to receptors on certain cells to make them take in glucose from the blood stream
• Our liver and muscle cells take in lots of the extra glucose and convert it into glycogen. This is a long-term storage of glucose.
• when blood glucose is too low Glucagon is released from the pancreas. It binds to receptors in liver cells and will stimulate the liver to break down glycogen back into glucose and release it back into the bloodstream.
• Together insulin and glucagon create a negative feedback loop.