preview

Insulin And Diabetes

Decent Essays

Diabetes is a disease caused by malfunctions in glucose metabolism. It is the malfunctioning of beta cells of the pancreas, which causes an over or under production of insulin, or the cells become insulin- resistant. The pancreas is the organ in the body located partially behind the stomach composed of millions of cells called pancreatic islets, or islets of Langerhans. These islets contain two major hormone- producing cells which are the alpha cells and the beta cells. The alpha cells synthesize glucagon and the beta cells synthesize insulin. These cells secrete glucagon and insulin, especially during the period of fasting and fed states. Glucagon and insulin are both involved in regulating blood glucose levels. Insulin is the main factor …show more content…

Insulin not only functions in lowering blood glucose levels. It also plays a role in protein and fat metabolism, which can cause other conditions and problems besides diabetes if there is an over or under production of the hormone. Insulin regulates blood glucose levels through a negative feedback mechanism. When blood glucose levels rise after eating for example, the insulin in the pancreas may stimulate two places. It can stimulate glycogen formation in the liver, which converts glucose into glycogen, a stored from of glucose. When glucose is stored, this allows the blood glucose to fall to normal range. The other way is that insulin stimulates glucose uptake by tissue cells and allows blood glucose to fall back to normal range. The normal blood glucose level is about 90 mg/ 100ml. Circulating insulin lowers blood glucose levels in three ways. It can enhance membrane e transport of glucose into most body cells, inhibit the catabolic breakdown of glycogen to glucose, or inhibit the conversion of amino acids or fats to glucose. These effects counter any metabolic activity that would increase plasma levels of …show more content…

People are diagnosed with pre- diabetes when blood glucose levels are abnormally high but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Therefore, those diagnosed with pre- diabetes have an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease if they do not take initiative in a healthier lifestyle and being more physically active. Pre- diabetes are mostly found in overweight people in general, especially those who are not physically active, have previous identification of impaired glucose tolerance, have a family history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, and have elevated blood

Get Access