Blood Sugar & Diabetes Flashcards
How does glucose get delivered to cells?
Through the blood stream
What does insulin do for glucose?
Helps the cell take up glucose. As the cell surface have insulin receptors on them (when insulin binds to these, it unlocks the channels for glucose to be uptaken)
Where is insulin produced/secreted?
Secreted by beta cells in the pancreatic islets of langerhans (when blood sugar rises following a drink/meal)
What is normal blood glucose level?
5 mol/l (90mg/100ml)
What are the natural functions of insulin?
- stimulate muscle, liver and fat cells to increase tissue uptake and use of glucose
- promote glucose storage as fat or glycogen
- reduce glucose formation from glycogen/fat
Where is glucagon secreted from?
The alpha cells in the pancreatic islets of langerhans
What happens to insulin and glucagon when you have glucose ?
Insulin increases and glucagon stays the same
What are the cells of the islets of Langerhans? + their functions ?
Alpha cells: produce glucagon to raise blood glucose levels
B cells: produce insulin to lower glucose levels
Delta cells: produce growth/inhibiting hormone to suppress glucagon and insulin secretion
F cells: produce pancreatic polypeptide to suppress gall bladder contraction
What else are the functions of insulin?
- increased amino acid uptake and protein synthesis
- increased glucose uptake and glycogenesis
- increased lipogenesis and decreased lipolysis
What are the functions of glucagon?
Opposite of insulin-
Increased gluconeogenesis by the liver leading to an increased blood glucose
Increased glycogenolysis by liver- increasing bloody glucose !
Increased lipolysis
What’s the most serious form of diabetes ?
Type 1- diabetes mellitus (blood glucose is too high bc body can’t use it properly)
-insulin independent
What’s the cause of type 1 diabetes? And how’s it treated ?
No insulin is produced (as B cells don’t work)
Antibodies may destroy the B cells.!!
Insulin injections are given
What % of people have type 1 diabetics?
15% of diabetics (most are younger than 40)
8% of adults
What’s type 2 diabetes?
Non insulin dependent
Resistant to insulin occurs/not enough insulin is produced
Caused by obesity/poor diet
70% of cases develop after 50
What’s the age group of ppl for diabetes T2 and the % of ppl?
-represents 85% of diabetics (90% of adults)
62% women and 66% men are overweight
Gestational diabetes develops in 5% of pregnancies= 5x likely to be a stillborn child-risk is t2 diabetes layer in life
