Topic 11-Glucose Control And Diabetes

Question 0

Control of blood glucose levels

Answer 0

When we eat food containing carbohydrates, the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood will rise. To stop it rising beyond a certain limit, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which allows the glucose to be used by the cells. It also causes any excess to be converted into insoluble glycogen in the liver, which then stores it for future use.

Question 1

What is diabetes?

Answer 1

Normally, the human body keeps the levels of glucose in the blood within a restricted range. In certain people, the control mechanism fails and as a result they get diabetes. The control can be artificially restored by regular injections of the hormone insulin.

Question 2

How do doctors test for diabetes?

Answer 2

The doctor will ask for a urine same and test it for sugar. The presence of sugar means the patient has diabetes.

Question 3

Testing urine for sugar is normally done using testing. Why do they put a chemical on the end of the stick?

Answer 3

A chemical is on them which changes colour in the presence of glucose.

Question 4

What is another way of testing diabetes?

Answer 4

An eager test was to do a Benedict’s test for sugar. This involves boiling urine with Benedict’s solution, which is a dilute solution of copper sulphate. When boiled, the colour change from clear blue to a cloudy orange or brick red indicating the presence of glucose.

Question 5

What happens to healthy people glucose?

Answer 5

I healthy people, glucose is re-absorbed from the urine in the kidneys. Untreated diabetics have such high levels of glucose, the mechanism cannot cope.

Question 6

How are some diabetes treated?

Answer 6

So e diabetics area now treated by having a transplant do pancreatic tissue to replace their damage pancreatic cells.

Question 7

How do diabetics know how much insulin to inject them selves with?

Answer 7

In order to know how much insulin they need to inject, diabetics patients will often test their blood glucose levels before a meal, using blood testing meter.

Question 8

Why do diabetics need to eat enough carbohydrates after injecting insulin before a meal?

Answer 8

So they eat enough carbohydrates in that meal to balance the insulin injection.

Question 9

What rises and decrease diabetics level of blood sugar?

Answer 9

Eating carbohydrates raises the level of sugar in the blood.

Exercise or lack or food reduces the levels of glucose

Diabetics have to take into account of such factors when deciding how much insulin to inject.