B3.3.3 Sugar control

Question 1

What is insulin?

Answer 1

A hormone that increases muscle tissue permeability - allowing glucose in the blood to be stored in cells as glycogen.

Lowers blood glucose.

Question 2

What is glucagon?

Answer 2

A hormone that causes glycogen stored in the cells to be converted into glucose and be released into the blood.

Question 3

What organ monitors and controls the levels of glucose in the blood?

Answer 3

The pancreas.

Question 4

What is glucose?

Answer 4

Single molecules of sugar.

Question 5

What is glycogen?

Answer 5

Stored chains of glucose molecules.

Question 6

What is diabetes?

Answer 6

A disease in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin.

Question 7

What does type 1 diabetes mean?

Answer 7

The disease is inherited.

Question 8

How can people with type 1 diabetes control their blood glucose level?

Answer 8

• Paying careful attention to what they eat - only eating foods that will not cause big spikes in their blood sugar level
• Exercising regularly - lowers blood glucose levels due to increased respiration in the muscles
• Injecting insulin

Question 9

What is an insulin pump?

Answer 9

A device which supplies insulin continuously at low levels and can be programmed to adjust the supply at meal times or times of exercise.