How does insulin and glycogen help maintain homeostasis in one's body ?
Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "insulin glycogen homeostasis" to get these possible sources:
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In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.
Don't just copy the material. Express the ideas in your own words. Although this will take more time and effort, you will learn more.
Insulin and glycogen play important roles in maintaining homeostasis in the human body, specifically in regulating blood sugar levels.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas in response to rising blood glucose levels. Its main function is to signal cells throughout the body, especially in the liver, muscles, and fat tissues, to uptake glucose from the bloodstream. By doing so, insulin helps lower blood sugar levels and prevent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
To understand how glycogen fits into this process, we need to know that glycogen is a complex carbohydrate molecule that acts as a stored form of glucose in the liver and muscles. When blood glucose levels are high, insulin triggers a process called glycogenesis. During glycogenesis, excess glucose is converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles for later use.
In times of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), such as during prolonged fasting or intense physical activity, insulin levels decrease. This causes another process called glycogenolysis to occur. Glycogenolysis involves the breakdown of glycogen into glucose molecules, which are then released into the bloodstream. This helps raise blood sugar levels and provide a readily available energy source for the body.
So, in summary, insulin helps maintain homeostasis by promoting the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream into cells, thus lowering blood sugar levels. Meanwhile, glycogen functions as a storage form of glucose that can be utilized during periods of hypoglycemia to raise blood sugar levels back to the normal range.