Regulating glucose & Diabetes

• If glucose levels are too high:

  1. Pancreas releases insulin.
  2. Insulin binds to liver and muscle cells, which causes;

  a)muscles cells to use glucose for respiration.

  b)excess glucose to be converted into glycogen (stored in liver).

  3. Resulting in blood glucose concentration to decrease.
• If glucose levels are too low:

  1. Pancreas releases glucagon.
  2. Glucagon binds to liver cells, causing glycogen to breakdown into glucose.
  3. Glucose is diffused into bloodstream, increasing blood glucose concentration.
• Insulin and glucagon work together in a negative feedback loop.
• Type 1 diabetes; happens when pancreas doesn't produce insulin or produces very little.

  Treatment: injecting insulin after meals. Amount depends on meal and amount of exercise they do.
• Type 2 diabetes; happens when cells become resistant to insulin. This is caused by a unhealthy diet for a long time.

  Treatment: healthy low sugar diet and regular exercise.
• Glucagon is a hormone which breaks down glycogen.  

  Whereas glycogen is a large molecule of glucose.