Student Name: Leana Maria S. Ragaza
Student number: 18580538
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Answer the following questions:
Question 2: Normal carbohydrate digestion results in glucose being absorbed into the blood and elevating blood glucose levels. Why do body cells need glucose? Describe the homeostatic feedback system that would be activated in response to an elevated blood glucose level.
Answer:
Glucose is the most important fuel for cells as it is used for the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a form of energy all body cells can utilise (Marieb & Hoehn, 2015). Moreover, neurons and red blood cells are …show more content…
The body's ability to maintain its optimal environment is called homeostasis and is maintained through feedback systems through the nervous and endocrine systems (Jenkins & Tortora, 2013). The negative feedback system is activated in response to elevated blood glucose level (BGLs) to reduce or reverse changes in the controlled condition through the endocrine system (Jenkins & Tortora, 2013). There are three main components to the negative feedback system - receptors, control centre, and effector (Jenkins & Tortora, 2013). When a controlled condition is altered by a stimulus, the change is detected by the receptor (Jenkins & Tortora, 2013). The receptor then sends this information as input to the control centre, which then compares this to the normal range (Jenkins & Tortora, 2013). If found to be above or beyond the set values, the control sends information as output to the effector, either as hormones or electrical signals, to reduce or reverse the change in the controlled condition (Jenkins & Tortora, 2013). In this case, the stimulus of the elevated BGLs (hyperglycaemia) is detected by the beta cells of the pancreatic islets (receptor) (Tortora & Derrickson, 2012). This input is then compared by the beta cells of the pancreatic islets in