preview

Hyperglycaemia Research Paper

Decent Essays

leading to poor healing of cuts/wounds. It can also cause nerve damage, vision problems, and damage to the blood vessels and kidneys. Therefore, there is a need to counteract hyperglycaemia, which is achieved through the four components of the blood glucose regulatory system.
The beta cells act as a receptor in the blood glucose regulatory system as they detect when there is a surplus of glucose in the blood, such as after a human consumes a carbohydrate-rich meal, or an excess intake of carbohydrates. The stimulus of these cells is the increase of glucose in the blood. ATP-sensitive potassium ion channels and calcium channels are embedded in the cell membrane of the beta cells. When glucose levels in the blood are at a stable equilibrium, …show more content…

If we did not have the blood glucose regulatory system, we would not have the ability to store glucose in the form of glycogen, which could later be used by cells as energy for life processes. This would then mean that we would have to be constantly eating glucose rich foods to provide our body with enough glucose to supply cells with energy in the form of ATP for essential life processes (such as respiration), and prevent hypoglycaemia. However, we would also have to be cautious about just how much glucose we were eating in order to not increase blood glucose concentration to an unstable level as it would put us at risk of hyperglycaemia. We would be at constant risk of both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, which can pose serious health risks, with long term effects being damage to the vessels that supply blood to important organs like the heart, kidneys, and eyes. This would put a fine line between life and death, making us less likely to survive. Without alpha and beta cells in the pancreas releasing insulin and glucagon to maintain blood glucose levels and keep the body in homeostasis, we would have to try control and maintain our blood glucose levels directly by our diet, which would be extremely challenging and

Get Access