Which hormone converts glycogen to glucose

Insulin and glucagon work together to balance your blood sugar levels, keeping them in the narrow range that your body requires. These hormones are like the yin and yang of blood glucose maintenance. During this process, one event triggers another, which triggers another, and so on, to keep your blood sugar levels balanced. During digestion, foods that contain carbohydrates are converted into glucose.

Most of this glucose is sent into your bloodstream, causing a rise in blood glucose levels. This increase in blood glucose signals your pancreas to produce insulin. The insulin tells cells throughout your body to take in glucose from your bloodstream. As the glucose moves into your cells, your blood glucose levels go down.

Some cells use the glucose as energy. Other cells, such as in your liver and muscles, store any excess glucose as a substance called glycogen. Your body uses glycogen for fuel between meals. Read more: Simple vs. About four to six hours after you eat, the glucose levels in your blood decrease, triggering your pancreas to produce glucagon. This hormone signals your liver and muscle cells to change the stored glycogen back into glucose.

These cells then release the glucose into your bloodstream so your other cells can use it for energy. This whole feedback loop with insulin and glucagon is constantly in motion. It keeps your blood sugar levels from dipping too low, ensuring that your body has a steady supply of energy. Diabetes mellitus is the best known condition that causes problems with blood sugar balance. Diabetes refers to a group of diseases.

And when the system is thrown out of balance, it can lead to dangerous levels of glucose in your blood. Of the two main types of diabetes, type 1 diabetes is the less common form. As a result, you must take insulin every day. This is an example of negative feedback. Role of glucagon in control of blood sugar levels - Higher Negative feedback In blood glucose regulation, the hormone insulin plays a key role.

How glucose is regulated Blood glucose Pancreas Liver Effect on glucose Too high Insulin secreted into the blood Liver converts glucose into glycogen Goes down Too low Glucagon not insulin is secreted into the blood. Liver does not convert glucose into glycogen. Glycogen is converted to glucose.

Goes up. Glucagon is released to stop blood sugar levels dropping too low hypoglycaemia , while insulin is released to stop blood sugar levels rising too high hyperglycaemia.

The release of glucagon is stimulated by low blood glucose, protein -rich meals and adrenaline another important hormone for combating low glucose. The release of glucagon is prevented by raised blood glucose and carbohydrate in meals, detected by cells in the pancreas.

For example, it encourages the use of stored fat for energy in order to preserve the limited supply of glucose. A rare tumour of the pancreas called a glucagonoma can secrete excessive quantities of glucagon. Unusual cases of deficiency of glucagon secretion have been reported in babies.

This results in severely low blood glucose which cannot be controlled without administering glucagon. Glucagon can be given by injection to restore blood glucose lowered by insulin even in unconscious patients. It can increase glucose release from glycogen stores more than insulin can suppress it. The effect of glucagon is limited, so it is very important to eat a carbohydrate meal once the person has recovered enough to eat safely. About Contact Events News.

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