Regulating Glucose

• The amount of glucose in your blood is controlled by hormones (chemical messengers) that travel in blood from the gland where they are produced, in this case the pancreas to the target organ, in this case the liver.
• Glucose levels in blood increases to normal levels.

  1. Eating increases glucose in blood.
  2. Pancreas detects increase and releases the hormone insulin into the blood.
  3. Insulin travels to liver and liver turns glucose into insoluble glycogen for storage.
• Glucose level decreases to normal levels.

  1. Exercising decreases glucose in the blood.
  2. Pancreas detects the decreases and releases the hormone glucagon into the blood.
  3. Glucagon tells the liver to turn stored glycogen into glucose and release into the blood.
• What is the hormone insulin?


  • Causes liver and muscle cells to increase their uptake of glucose
  • Glucose is converted into glycogen, a storage molecule
• What is the hormone glucagon 


  • Causes the breakdown of glycogen to glucose in the liver.
  • Glucose is released into the blood
• Glucose increase


  1. Eat carbohydrate meal
  2. Blood glucose increases
  3. Pancreas monitors level and releases hormone
  4. Pancreas sees an increase in glucose and release insulin
  5. Target organ is the liver and converts the glucose into glycogen where it is stored in the liver
  6. Glucose falls
  7. NORMAL
  8. Insulin no longer releases = Negative feedback mechanism
• Glucose decrease


  1. Respiration/ exercise
  2. Blood glucose decreases
  3. Pancreas monitors level and releases hormone
  4. Pancreas sees decrease in glucose and release glucagon
  5. The glucagon will turn the glycogen back into glucose
  6. Blood glucose returns back to normal
  7. Glucagon is no longer released = Negative feedback mechanism