Control of blood glucose

2.6.3 Control of temperature

2.7 Immune system

Control of blood glucose

  1. The glucose concentration of the blood is monitored and controlled by the pancreas
  2. Much of the glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver & muscles and when these stores are full, excess glucose is stored as lipid
  3. If the glucose concentration is too high, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that causes the cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream
  4. If the glucose concentration is too low, the pancreas produces glucagon, a hormone that causes glycogen to be converted into glucose and released into the bloodstream

  5. Diabetes

    1. Type 1

      1. Type 1 diabetes develops when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin
      2. It can be controlled by a careful diet, injecting insulin before every meal and matching that with exercise
      3. New treatments have been developed: pancreas transplant, pancreas cell transplant, using embryonic or adult stem cells to produce insulin-secreting cells, genetically engineering pancreas cells to make them work properly

    2. Type 2

      1. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body does not respond to its own insulin
      2. It can be controlled by a careful diet, exercise and drugs that help the cells to respond to insulin
      3. Obesity is a significant factor in the development of Type 2 diabetes