- The level of glucose rise after the meal because the carbohydrates from the food is broken
down into glucose, and is absorbed into the bloodstream, increasing glucose level
- Glucose levels fall after exercising and fasting because during that time cells respire and use
glucose for conversion to energy, thus glucose gets used and the levels fall
Why is it important our blood glucose concentration is not too high or too
low?
So “bad” osmosis won’t happen where body cells
swell up or burst due to differences in water
concentration
Blood glucose levels are controlled by two main
hormones: glucagon and insulin.
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. In
humans, blood glucose concentration is normally about 900 mg/l. It rises considerably after a
meal. The graph below shows the change in blood glucose and insulin levels over a 24hr
period.
Describe the pattern in the two graphs
between breakfast and lunch and suggest the
relationship between these two graphs:
Change the font of the highlighted part to see
a possible answer:
When the blood glucose rises, the insulin
levels also rise; which decreases the blood
glucose, and it continues as meals are eaten
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK: If a factor in the internal environment increases,
changes take place to reduce it and restore it to the original level. If a
factor in the internal environment decreases, changes take place to
increase it and restore the original level