blood glucose levels and obesity

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  • Glucose is needed by cells for respiration. The concentration of glucose in the blood must be maintained at a constant level and controlled carefully.
  • Chronic elevated blood glucose levels can lead the epithelial cells lining blood vessels to absorb far more glucose than normal. This can cause atherosclerosis and blood vessel damage.
  • Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. It regulates glucose concentrations in the blood.
    • Pancreatic receptors respond to raised blood glucose levels by increasing the secretion of insulin from the pancreas.
    • Insulin activates the conversion of glucose to glycogen in the liver decreasing blood glucose concentration.
  • Glucagon:
    • Pancreatic receptors respond to lowered blood glucose levels by increasing the secretion of glucagon from the pancreas.
    • Glucagon activates the conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver increasing blood glucose concentration.
  • During exercise and the fight or flight response, glucose concentrations in the blood are raised by adrenaline released from the adrenal glands. This stimulates glucagon secretion and inhibits insulin secretion.
  • Type 1 Diabetes:
    • A person with type 1 diabetes is unable to produce insulin and can be treated with regular doses of insulin.
    • The onset of Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in childhood.
  • Type 2 Diabetes:
    • In Type 2 diabetes, individuals produce insulin, but their cells are less sensitive to it. This insulin resistance is linked to a decrease in the number of insulin receptors in the liver, leading to a failure to convert glucose into glycogen.
    • Type 2 diabetes typically develops later in life. The likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes is increased by being overweight.
  • Urine Test:
    • In both types of diabetes, individual blood glucose levels rise rapidly after a meal. The kidneys remove some of this glucose, resulting in glucose appearing in urine.
    • Testing urine is often used as an indicator of diabetes.
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
    • The blood glucose concentrations of the individual are initially measured after fasting. The individual then drinks a glucose solution and changes in their blood glucose concentration are measured for at least the next two hours.
    • The blood glucose concentration of a diabetic usually starts at a higher level than that of a non-diabetic.
    • During the test, a diabetic’s blood glucose concentration increases to a much higher level than that of a non-diabetic and takes longer to return to its starting concentration.
  • Small blood vessels damaged by elevated glucose levels may result in haemorrhage of blood vessels in the retina, renal failure or peripheral nerve dysfunction.