Posts Tagged ‘energy needed’
Insulin as a Regulator of Blood Sugar Levels
Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, the main form of blood sugar. Glucose comes from food we eat and is the largest source of energy needed to stimulate the body’s functions. After eating a meal, your body and crushes the food into glucose and other nutrients that are absorbed into the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal tract. The level of blood glucose rises after a meal and operates the pancreas which produces insulin, the hormone released into the bloodstream. But in people with diabetes, the body is unable to produce or respond properly to insulin. Insulin works like a key that opens the doors of the cells and allows entry of glucose. Without insulin, glucose can not reach the cells (the doors are “locked” and there is no key) so that it stays in the bloodstream. As a result, the level of sugar in the blood reaches higher levels than normal. High levels of sugar are a problem because they can cause several health problems.