Control of blood glucose concentration Flashcards – AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464) — Biology — Foundation

How does obesity affect the risk of Type 2 diabetes?

It increases the risk, but does not make Type 2 diabetes inevitable; other factors also contribute.

How can excess body fat affect cells' response to insulin?

Cells become less sensitive to insulin and respond less effectively to its signal to take up glucose.

What can happen to blood glucose when the body cannot produce enough insulin to compensate for reduced insulin sensitivity?

Blood glucose concentration can remain too high.

Which organ monitors blood glucose concentration?

The pancreas.

How does the pancreas respond when blood glucose concentration rises too high?

It produces and releases insulin.

How does insulin affect glucose uptake by body cells?

It causes body cells to take up more glucose from the blood.

What does insulin promote for the storage of excess glucose?

The conversion of excess glucose to glycogen for storage in liver and muscle cells.

What overall effect does insulin have on blood glucose concentration?

It lowers blood glucose concentration.

What happens to insulin release as blood glucose concentration returns towards normal?

Insulin release decreases.

What do the axes, scales and units tell you on an insulin-response graph?

They identify the quantities being compared and how their values are measured.

How can you find the change in blood glucose concentration between two times on a graph?

Read the concentration at each time, then subtract the initial value from the final value.

Why is the timing of insulin administration useful when interpreting a blood glucose graph?

It helps relate subsequent changes in blood glucose to insulin.

What three features can you use to compare blood glucose curves for people with and without diabetes?

Their concentrations, the size and direction of changes, and how rapidly the changes occur.

What should conclusions about insulin response be based on when comparing people with and without diabetes?

The data shown, not an assumed response based solely on whether a person has diabetes.