Blood Glucose Homeostasis

Blood Glucose Homeostasis

by Minoucha Previlon

1. Blood glucose homeostasis is the process the body goes through in order to stabilize your blood glucose/sugar levels.

2. How the process looks in someone with normal blood sugar

2.1. Eat food

2.2. The food you consumed turns into sugar

2.3. Your blood sugar levels rise

2.4. Your body notices your blood sugar levels rising and wants it to go back to normal so your pancreatic beta cells, cells from your pancreas, sends out insulin

2.5. The insulin lowers the blood sugar by binding to the insulin receptors in your body because of this bind the glut 4 transporter allows for glucose to come into the cells. The insulin in your body also by promoting uptake of glucose in many cells. Additionally, fat cells and adipose tissue use the glucose in order to make fatty acids and glycogen.

2.5.1. The insulin also stimulates the liver which cause the liver to turn glucose to glycogen and fatty acids

2.5.2. Things like muscle burn the glucose for fuel

2.5.3. Fatty acids are made into fat

2.6. Cells in your body continue to use glucose so eventually your blood sugar levels go back to their normal number

2.6.1. Once this happens the liver turns the glycogen it made into glucose again

2.7. Once your blood sugar levels are normal insulin production stops. As enough time passes your glucose levels drop lower than they normally are.

2.8. Your body doesn't use glucose anymore and now that your sugar levels are low so the glucagon hormones activate the glycogen your body made. Then the glycogen can is turned into glucose. Whereas the fat cells are converted to fatty acids

3. Cells in your body will not "absorb" or utilize glucose if you're a type 1 diabetic. This is because for people with type 1 diabetes their beta cells that make insulin are killed due to their genes. Overall, the inability to utilize glucose results in a higher blood glucose level.

4. In people with type 2 diabetes their insulin used to allow the cells to use glucose but now the insulin being made doesn't allow cells to use the sugar. One could definitely account this to the unhealthy lifestyle.

5. Homeostasis is anything that relates to stability, one could think of it as what a normal process in the body is supposed to look like this