Blood Glucose Levels and Obesity Unit 2 Flashcards
How much sugar should be in the blood plasma usually ?
Around 5 millimoles per litre (5mmol/l)
How much sugar can be found in the blood of a diabetic person ?
Sometimes as much as 30mmol/l
Which part of the blood vessels absorbs the excess glucose if a diabetic person ?
The endothelium of the blood vessels
What happens to blood vessels that take in more glucose than usual ?
They become weaker and burst and bleed into surrounding tissues
What name is given to the condition caused by blood vessels that burst due to the weight of glucose in them ?
Microvascular disease
What organs can microvascular disease affect ?
Retina of the eyes, kidneys and the body’s extremities like the arms and legs
What is glucose stored as in the liver ?
Glycogen
Whenever glucose concentration rises following a meal, receptor cells in which organ detects it ?
Pancreas
Which hormone is released by the pancreas following a rise in blood glucose levels ?
Insulin
What organ does insulin hormone released by the pancreas go to ?
The Liver
What reaction is triggered in the liver by the hormone insulin ?
Glucose —> Glycogen
When glucose is converted to glycogen in the liver, what does this do to blood glucose levels ?
Lowers it
Whenever glucose levels fall and are ‘fone’ from the blood following a period without food or after sleeping, which organ detects it ?
The pancreas
Which hormone is released by the pancreas following a fall in blood glucose levels ?
Glucagon
What organ does glucagon hormone released by the liver go to ?
The liver