Hormonal Control of Blood Glucose

Question 1

Does insulin promote the movement of glucose into cells or into the blood?
Under what circumstances would insulin be released by the pancreas (high or low blood glucose level)?

Answer 1

Insulin promotes the movement of glucose into cells.
When the blood glucose is too high after a carbohydrate rich meal, insulin is released by the pancreas to bring
glucose into the cells (from the blood), which lowers the blood glucose level.

Question 2

What types of metabolic reactions does insulin activate?

Answer 2

Insulin activates metabolic processes that use glucose to derive energy (glycolysis)
or for storage as glycogen (glycogenesis).

Question 3

Does glucagon promote the movement of glucose into cells or into the blood?
Under what circumstances would glucagon be released by the pancreas (high or low blood glucose level)?

Answer 3

Glucagon promotes the movement of glucose from the cells into the blood.
When the blood glucose is too low after a period of fasting, glucagon is released from the pancreas to move glucose out of the cells into the blood, which increase the level of glucose in the blood.

Question 4

What types of metabolic reactions does glucagon activate?

Answer 4

Glucagon activates metabolic processes that make glucose. The examples of the
glucose making metabolic processes are gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis.