Elijah Castro - Reading and Questions-Diabetes

Homeostasis FAIL: A System Out of Balance
HASPI Medical Biology Lab 04b

Background/Introduction
Regulating Sugar in The Blood
The pancreas is a small organ that sits behind the stomach
and produces hormones and enzymes. One of its primary
functions is to produce two hormones called insulin and
glucagon that regulate the amount of sugar, or glucose, in
the blood. Too much or too little glucose in the bloodstream
can have an adverse impact on the body, and in extreme
cases can even lead to death. The body controls the
amount of insulin and glucagon released by the pancreas,
and therefore the amount of sugar in the blood, through
negative feedback mechanisms.
Negative Feedback: Insulin,
Glucagon, and Glucose
After you eat a meal, the large molecules of proteins,
fats, and carbohydrates are broken down into smaller
molecules that can absorb into the bloodstream
through the process of digestion. Glucose is a small
molecule that results from the digestion of carbohydrates
and is required for cellular respiration within cells.
As glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream following
digestion, the blood sugar level rises above normal,
signaling the pancreas to release insulin. Glucose is unable
to pass into the cells of the body on its own and needs insulin to assist. Insulin essentially
“opens the door” to allow glucose to move into cells, which need the glucose to perform
cellular respiration and create energy in order to function.
As glucose leaves the bloodstream into cells, the
blood sugar level drops. The body must
compensate to return the blood sugar level to
normal. When blood sugar levels are lower than
normal, the pancreas is signaled to stop releasing
insulin and release glucagon. Excess glucose
can be stored in liver and muscle cells.
Glucagon causes excess glucose stored in liver
and muscle cells to be released.
The back and forth between insulin and glucagon to maintain a normal amount of glucose
in the blood is a great example of how the body uses negative feedback to maintain
homeostasis within the body. Remember that negative feedback is when the body corrects
imbalances back to normal values. So, what happens if this negative feedback becomes
imbalanced?
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Homeostasis FAIL: A System Out of Balance, HASPI Medical Biology Lab 04b
Diabetes: Homeostasis FAIL
Diabetes is a group of diseases, all of which are
characterized by abnormal blood glucose levels
that result from the inability of the body to produce
and/or use the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced
by the pancreas and is needed to maintain
normal glucose levels in the blood. If insulin is
either not produced or cells become resistant to
insulin, the level of sugar in the blood continues
to rise. The negative feedback controls that should maintain the normal blood sugar level
are thrown off and the homeostatic imbalance, known as diabetes, occurs.
Generally, diabetes is separated into Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is a genetic
disease that is normally diagnosed very early on in life, and results in the body not producing
insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form and results when the body does not
produce sufficient amounts of insulin OR when cells become insulin resistant. Type 2 diabetes
can be hereditary, but is strongly impacted by diet and exercise. A condition known as
pre-diabetes is present before the onset of Type 2 diabetes, and more than 79 million people
in the U.S. have pre-diabetes.
Diabetes can cause a wide variety
of symptoms including frequent
urination, frequent thirst, extreme
hunger, recurring infections, fatigue,
vision loss, reduced healing, limb
numbness, increased cancer
occurrence, and high blood
pressure just to name a few. More
importantly, these symptoms can
lead to further complications if
diabetes is left uncontrolled.
The American Diabetes Association estimates that more than 11% of the U.S. population has
diabetes, and approximately 54% of long-term hospital patients that are hospitalized have
conditions resulting from complications with diabetes.
Diabetes and High Blood Pressure: An Example of Positive Feedback
Diabetes has a large array of symptoms that can adversely impact the health of
an individual. One of the symptoms of diabetes is high blood pressure. How
diabetes causes higher blood pressure provides an example of a positive
feedback loop. The kidneys are the most important regulator of blood
pressure through balancing the amount of fluids and substances in the
blood. The filtering units of the kidneys are called glomerulus, and are
surrounded by dense networks of capillaries. These capillaries have a very
thin surface, allowing substances and fluids to diffuse in/out of the blood
and in/out of the glomerulus. Any excess fluids or substances are passed
on to the bladder and secreted as urine.
170
High amounts of sugar in the blood damages
capillaries by causing them to thicken and
degrade. When this happens, less fluids and
substances are able to diffuse through the
glomerulus into the kidneys. When this happens,
the kidneys sense that less blood is passing
through the capillaries and sends hormones that
increase blood pressure so more blood is passing
through the capillaries. Essentially, the kidneys
are trying to return the body to “normal” blood
pressure, not realizing the problem is that less
blood is able to pass through the damaged
capillaries.
The more damage to the capillaries caused by
high blood sugar, the higher the kidneys raise the
blood pressure as they try to correct the
imbalance. It becomes a vicious cycle causing
extensive damage that will eventually lead to
death without regulation of blood sugar levels.
Blood Glucose Level Testing
Since an individual with diabetes has abnormal amounts of glucose in the blood, and his or
her body is unable to control these amounts, it is important for diabetics to perform tests to
check their blood glucose levels. If these levels are drastically high or low it can result in
coma and eventually death; hence the importance of knowing the levels! Diabetes
medications and insulin can assist a diabetic in balancing his or her glucose levels if an
imbalance is detected.
Review Questions – answer questions in a Google Doc or on a separate sheet of paper

1. What is the pancreas and how does it assist the body in maintaining the amount of
glucose in the blood?
2. What is the purpose of glucose in the body? Hypothesize why it is so important for your
body to have a constant supply of glucose.
3. Explain how insulin and glucagon help the body maintain normal blood glucose levels.
4. Hypothesize why glucose needs insulin to enter cells. (this is your best guess)
5. Give and explain an example (other than temperature or blood sugar levels) of how the
body uses negative feedback to maintain homeostasis. (Research examples)
6. What causes diabetes?
7. What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?
8. What are the 4 most common leading complications of diabetes?
9. Explain in detail how high blood sugar and high blood pressure demonstrate a positive
feedback loop.
10. Why is it important for a diabetic to perform regular blood glucose level tests?
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Homeostasis FAIL: A System Out of Balance

HASPI Medical Biology Lab 04b

Review Questions – answer questions in a Google Doc or on a separate sheet of paper

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