UO7a1-Unit 7 Assignment
DEALING WITH DIABETES
BIO1000
Capella University
November 24, 2013
DEALING WITH DIABETES
Dear Friend,
I sympathize with you newly discovered prognosis of type 2 diabetes. It is a process of deciding now, how to utilize your method of change in diet, exercise and properly medicating yourself. I took the initiative of preparing some information on type 2 diabetes for you that may help you in your process of change.
Explain the role of insulin and glucagons in regulating blood sugar.
The human body requires that the blood glucose level is maintained in a very narrow
range. Homeostasis is regulated by two hormones, insulin and glucagon which are both
secreted by the endocrine pancreas. The production of insulin and glucagon by
these pancreatic cells ultimately determines if a patient has diabetes or another related
problem.
Insulin is secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas in response to high blood
sugar, although a low level of insulin is always secreted by the pancreas. After a meal,
the amount of insulin secreted into the blood increases as the blood glucose
rises. Likewise, as blood glucose falls, insulin secretion by the pancreatic islet beta cells
decreases. In response to insulin, cells (muscle, red blood cells, and fat cells) take
glucose in from the blood, which ultimately lowers the high blood glucose levels back to
the normal range.
Glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreas when blood glucose is
low. Blood glucose is low between meals and during exercise. When blood glucose is
high, no glucagon is secreted from the alpha cells. Glucagon has the greatest effect on
the liver although it affects many different cells in the body. Glucagon's function is to
cause the liver to release stored glucose from its