⚗️ Endocrine🟢 BasicGlucose Homeostasis

Regulation of Blood Glucose

How the body keeps blood sugar within a narrow range, mainly through the opposing hormones insulin and glucagon.

Key points

Blood glucose is kept within a narrow range because both too much and too little are harmful, especially to the brain.
After a meal, rising glucose triggers insulin from the pancreas, which drives glucose into cells and stores it as glycogen and fat, lowering the level.
In fasting, falling glucose triggers glucagon, which releases glucose from the liver's glycogen and makes new glucose, raising the level.
Other hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and growth hormone also raise glucose, especially in stress, opposing insulin.
Failure of this control, chiefly a lack or ineffectiveness of insulin, causes the high blood glucose of diabetes.

Memory trick

Blood glucose is kept in a narrow range (the brain needs it): insulin lowers it (glucose into cells, stored as glycogen and fat); glucagon raises it (liver glycogen breakdown plus new glucose); adrenaline, cortisol and growth hormone also raise it; insulin failure is diabetes.

All of Physiology More Endocrine

Next in Physiology · Endocrine

Loading…

⚗️ Endocrine🟢 BasicGlucose Homeostasis

Regulation of Blood Glucose

How the body keeps blood sugar within a narrow range, mainly through the opposing hormones insulin and glucagon.

Key points

Blood glucose is kept within a narrow range because both too much and too little are harmful, especially to the brain.
After a meal, rising glucose triggers insulin from the pancreas, which drives glucose into cells and stores it as glycogen and fat, lowering the level.
In fasting, falling glucose triggers glucagon, which releases glucose from the liver's glycogen and makes new glucose, raising the level.
Other hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and growth hormone also raise glucose, especially in stress, opposing insulin.
Failure of this control, chiefly a lack or ineffectiveness of insulin, causes the high blood glucose of diabetes.

Memory trick

All of Physiology More Endocrine