University:
Western Sydney University
Course:
BIOS 1035 | Anatomy and Physiology in Health
Academic year:

2022
Views:

470

Pages:

3
Author:

izbra0p

Feedback Loops: Insulin and Glucagon The control of blood sugar (glucose) by insulin is a good example of a negative feedback mechanism. When blood sugar rises, receptors in the body sense a change. In turn, the control center (pancreas) secretes insulin into the blood effectively lowering blood sugar levels. Once blood sugar levels reach homeostasis, the pancreas stops releasing insulin. Examine the graphic below to understand how this feedback loop works. 1. The image shows two different types of stimuli (1 and 2), but doesn't explain what the stimuli is that causes blood sugar to raise or lower. Based on clues in the graphic, what are the two stimuli? Too much or too little glucose in the blood stream will cause blood sugar to rise or fall. Food we eat is broken down during digestion into sugar, which we use as energy. 2. What happens when your blood sugar rises? The pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar levels. 3. What is the effect of glucagon? What cells release glucagon? Glucagon is broken down by the liver into glucose, which cells use to raise blood sugar levels when they are tool low. Alpha cells in the pancreas release glucagon. 3. What is the effect of insulin? What cells release insulin? Insulin is released in the bloodstream to lower blood sugar levels. Beta cells are responsible for releasing insulin. 4. What is the normal level of glucose in the blood? Why is this called a "set point." 90mg/100ml. A set point is the normal range value that is considered stable and healthy. 5. What would you expect to happen if your blood sugar was 120 mg / 100 mL ? Be specific. If my blood sugar was elevated, my pancreas would release insulin into my bloodstream to stabilize my glucose level. 6. A person with diabetes cannot regulate their blood sugar, mainly because the pancreas does not release enough insulin. To treat the disease, a person must monitor their blood sugar, if their blood sugar is high, they must take an injection of insulin. How do you think they would need to treat low blood sugar? The patient would have to monitor their blood sugar regularly, change their lifestyle by maintaining a sugar free diet and watching what they eat. If and when a diabetic blood sugar gets too low, its because they haven’t consumed any food, which the body could break down and use for energy. 7. In a single sentence, explain the relationship between the pancreas and homeostasis. The pancreas is considered to be the control center that is responsible for maintaining the balance of blood glucose levels for the body to remain in homeostasis. 8. Where does the glucose that is released into the blood ultimately end up (2 places)? One place is our blood cells, which uses glucose for energy, and the other place is the liver, which is utilized like a storage room, where it reserves glucose, which is converted into glycogen.