DIABETES Flashcards
For a healthy person, blood glucose levels should be in the range of
80-120mg/dL of blood
When a person eats, glucose levels…
increase
When a person has not eaten for a while, glucose levels…
Decrease
What is a healthy person supposed to be able to do with blood glucose levels
A healthy person is able to bring high glucose levels down to within the normal range and increase low glucose levels to within the normal range.
What are the two hormones in this process
glucagon and insulin
The beta cells…
in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas produce the hormone insulin
The β cells in the pancreas are stimulated to produce insulin
The alpha cells
in the pancreas produce the hormone glucagon
The alpha cells in the pancreas are stimulated to produce glucagon
Why is there no glucose in urine
No glucose is excreted by the kidneys so there is no glucose in the urine
Where does insulin travel and why
Insulin travels in the blood to the liver where it causes the liver to convert glucose (soluble) into glycogen (insoluble)
What happens to the glycogen in the liver
The liver stores about 100g of glycogen and beyond this amount, any further glucose is converted to fat and stored below the skin and around organs. (There is no limit to how much fat the body can store)
What do cells do to glucose
Cells also absorb more glucose from the blood to be used in respiration. As a result, the level of glucose in the blood decreases, returning to within the normal range
Where does glucagon travel?
Glucagon travels in the blood to the liver where it causes the liver to convert glycogen into glucose
What does the liver do to glucose when glucose levels are too low
The liver can also convert fat and eventually protein into glucose if there is not enough glycogen
What do cells do to glucose when glucose is low
Cells also absorb less glucose from the blood to be used in respiration. As a result, the level of glucose in the blood increases, returning to within the normal range
