Glucose Regulation

  • Insulin → secreted by islets of Langerhans in pancreas, which lowers blood glucose level

  • Glucagon → a peptide hormone secreted from the alpha cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans which raises blood glucose level

  • Pancreas

  • Islet of Langerhans → endocrine cell clusters inside the pancreas that produce insulin and glucagon

  • Alpha cells → in islet of Langerhans releases glucagon

  • Beta cells → in islet of Langerhans releases insulin

  • Glucocorticoids → help control blood sugar

  • adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) → released by pituitary gland and causes secretion of glucocorticoids

  • Auto-immune condition

  • insulin resistance

Normal Regulation of Glucose

  • Islet of Langerhans

    • Beta cell → releases insulin = decrease blood sugar

    • Alpha cell → release glucagon = increase in blood sugar → by glucagon breaking down glycogen

  • pancreas releases insulin → insulin connects to receptor (doorbell) on outside of cell → tells GLUT4 (door) to allow glucose to come in

  • low sugar = glucagon releases by alpha cell → then liver breakdown glycogen

Long-term consequences for diabetes

  • high risk of developing cardiovascular disease

  • kidney failure - due to high kidney stress & blood rot

  • Nerve damage

  • Amputations - feet

  • vision loss

Management strategies for diabetes

  • diet and exercise

    • exercise increase the body’s uptake of glucose

    • diet → limit carbohydrate intake to reduce glucose in blood

      → increase fiber = slows the intake of sugar in the stomach

      → eating smaller portions = makes easier for body to manage

Hormone Controls

  1. Hypothalamus detects stress & low blood sugar → activates pituitary gland

  2. Pituitary gland releases ACTH

  3. Adrenal gland releases glucocorticoids → breakdown proteins or fats

Diabetes

Type 1

Type 2

Gestational

- insulin producing cells in pancreas are destroyed by auto-immune

- early onset

- white blood cells attack beta cells → insulin won’t make it to receptor = body won’t reabsorb glucose

- able to make insulin but the insulin receptors are harder to trigger

- insulin does not stick to receptor

- late onset

- cells require more insulin before they will allow glucose in

- specific to pregnancy

- body requires more insulin for glucose uptake

- happens because the growing baby and changed hormones interfere with normal glucose pathway

- the diabetes disappears when baby is born

- if untreated babies can very large and may develop type 2 later on