Glucose Regulation

The regulation of glucose is an important system inside the human body. Glucose is the primary fuel for the brain and a secondary fuel for muscle function and red blood cell production. Thus insuring that enough glucose is available is imperative. However, an excess of glucose brings about its own problems. The best known disease caused by a glucose imbalance is diabetes.

• A sugary snack.

Obtaining Glucose

• Glucose is predominantly garnered from outside the body through diet. Glucose is a breakdown from carbohydrates, simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates break down quickly and cause a spike in blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates break down more slowly causing a more gradual change to the body's blood sugar. Once the glucose is brought into the body, it takes one of three pathways toward use. The most direct route is from the small intestine to the bloodstream where it is immediately converted into ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). This goes directly to the brain. The secondary route is through the musculoskeletal system where the glucose is stored inside the muscles. Once this route is taken, the glucose cannot return back into the bloodstream and is used to power the muscle itself. The third route is to reusable storage in the liver. The liver holds onto glucose in the form of glycogen to release later, as well as playing a vital role in regulating the amount of glucose available in the blood, in conjunction with the pancreas.

Glucose and the Liver

• The liver is the primary storehouse for glucose in the body in the form of glycogen. It is capable of holding 10 percent of its total volume this way. While it is the liver that stores the glycogen, it is the pancreas that regulates when it releases the stores out into the body.

Glucose and the Pancreas

• The pancreas is an organ primarily responsible for sending out regulatory hormones. The regulatory hormones involved in the regulation of glucose are insulin and glucagon. Insulin is released when glucose levels in the blood rise too high. It tells the liver to take up glucose from the blood and store it for later. Glucagon, the opposite of insulin, is produced when glucose levels in the blood fall too low and causes the liver to let go of its stores in order to keep everything running smoothly. Diabetes is caused by a problem with the body's reaction to insulin.

Glucose and the Brain

• The brain uses 75 percent of the stores of glucose in the body. According to the Franklin Institute (2009), "brain cells need two times more energy than the other cells in the body." This is because unlike most cells, brain cells are constantly in a state of metabolic activity. Even when a person is sleeping, brain cells are busy fixing things upstairs to keep the body running smoothly.

  This high demand is the reason that the glucose regulation in the body is so important.

Glucose and Diabetes

• Diabetes is the best known disease of abnormal glucose regulation. In its primary form, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to keep the regulatory system running correctly, so insulin has to be introduced from the outside as well as careful control of the patient's diet. The secondary form is insulin resistant; the body does not use the available insulin well and, once again, careful control of the diet is imperative.

  Hyperglycemia is the condition of having too much glucose in the blood. Hypoglycemia means there is too little. While both of these can occur without the presence of diabetes, they are strongly linked with diabetes due to the problems with insulin.