Blood glucose regulation

The concentration of glucose in the blood can be controlled.

A person drinks a glucose solution.

What happens to the person’s blood glucose concentration soon after drinking the glucose solution?

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Insulin controls blood glucose concentration.

Which organ produces insulin?

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Organs affected by insulin are called target organs.

Which two organs are target organs for insulin?

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Complete the sentences.

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Insulin causes cells to take in.

The storage molecule made inside the cells is

Complete the sentence.

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Insulin causes blood glucose concentration to

Type 2 diabetes is caused when the body cells no longer respond to insulin.

Give two ways to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Do not refer to insulin in your answer.

The human body makes the hormone insulin and a chemical called C-peptide.

C-peptide concentration in the blood has a linear relationship with the amount of insulin the body produces.

Which equation represents a linear relationship?

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When the body makes insulin, C-peptide is also made.

The concentration of C-peptide in the blood is not increased by insulin injections.

Some people with Type 2 diabetes are incorrectly told they have Type 1 diabetes.

Doctors can test the concentration of C-peptide in the blood to check which type of diabetes a person has.

Explain:

• how the test can indicate which type of diabetes a person has

• the importance of finding out whether a person being treated for Type 1 diabetes actually has Type 2 diabetes.

Glucagon is a hormone produced by the body.

Which organ produces glucagon?

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In some people, glucagon is produced in smaller quantities than is needed.

Explain why people who do not produce enough glucagon feel weak and tired.

Figure 2 shows organs and glands in a human body.

Label the glands on Figure 2.

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Cells in the pancreas detect blood glucose concentration.

What type of cells detect blood glucose concentration?

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The pancreas produces insulin.

How is insulin transported from the pancreas to the rest of the body?

Which organ is a target organ of insulin?

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Which chemical is a store of glucose in human cells?

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Three people each ate similar meals.

The blood glucose concentration of each person was recorded for 80 minutes after the meal.

Figure 3 shows the results.

What was the change in blood glucose concentration in person A from 0 minutes to 60 minutes?

Describe the trend in the relationship between blood glucose concentration and time after the meal.

A student concluded:

‘Person A has diabetes’.

Explain how Figure 3 supports the student’s conclusion.

You should refer to insulin in your answer.

Describe two ways a person with Type 2 diabetes could change their lifestyle to control their diabetes.

Hormones are released from endocrine glands.

Which gland releases hormones to control other glands?

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Several hormones can affect blood glucose concentration.

Adrenaline can increase blood glucose concentration.

What is one other effect of adrenaline?

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Cells in the pancreas detect changes in blood glucose concentration.

What type of cell in the body detects changes?

Scientists investigated whether blood glucose concentration affects reaction time.

The reaction times of ten people with Type 1 diabetes were measured.

This is the method used.

1. Tell one person to drink a glucose solution.

2. Monitor the person’s blood glucose concentration.

3. Record the person’s reaction time when the person’s blood glucose concentration is:

16 mmol/dm³

6 mmol/dm³

3 mmol/dm³

4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the nine other people.

People with Type 1 diabetes were selected for the investigation instead of people who did not have diabetes.

Explain why.

Control variables between the different people in the investigation included:

• age

• sex

• food and drink consumed before and during the test.

Suggest two other control variables that should be used in the investigation.

It was important for the scientists to monitor the health of each person during the investigation.

Suggest one reason why.

Figure 6 shows the results.

People who do not have diabetes usually have a blood glucose concentration in the range of 4.0 mmol/dm³ to 7.8 mmol/dm³.

Describe how the results in Figure 6 show the importance of homeostasis.

Describe how blood glucose concentration is maintained within narrow limits in people who do not have diabetes.

The scientists gave the hypothesis:

‘Optimum blood glucose concentration increases the production of chemicals that diffuse across synapses.’

Describe how an increase in the chemicals could decrease reaction time.

Homeostasis is the control of internal body conditions. Control of body temperature is an example of homeostasis.

Draw one line from each part involved in temperature control to the function of that part. Part involved in

Why is homeostasis important? Tick (✓) two boxes.

The body temperature of a long-distance swimmer can change with the

length of time swimming in cold water. Figure 6 shows how the body temperature of one swimmer changed in the first 4 hours of a 6-hour swim.

Describe the trend shown in Figure 6.

Determine the change in body temperature in the first 4 hours of the swim.

Hypothermia is a dangerously low body temperature of 35 °C or colder. Predict when the swimmer was first at risk of hypothermia. You should extend the line on Figure 6.

Swimming in cold water decreases the insulin concentration in the blood.

Complete the sentence. Choose the answer from the box.

Insulin is a hormone. Which organ system produces hormones?

Complete the sentence. Choose the answer from the box.

When insulin concentration in the blood increases, blood glucose concentration

Give one risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.

The endocrine system is made up of glands which secrete hormones. Figure 5 shows the position of endocrine glands in the human body.

Which letter shows the pancreas? Tick (✓) one box.

Which letter shows the thyroid gland? Tick (✓) one box.

Hormones travel from the gland where they are made to the target organ where they have an effect. How do hormones travel from the gland to the target organ?

When blood glucose concentration becomes too high, hormone X from the pancreas causes a decrease in the glucose concentration.

Name hormone X.

In what two ways does hormone X cause a decrease in blood glucose concentration? Tick (✓) two boxes.

Figure 6 shows the blood glucose concentration in a woman.

Suggest what time of day the woman ate her breakfast of sugar-coated cereal.

The man in Figure 6 has Type 2 diabetes but he has not been treated.

The man ate:

• the same type and amount of breakfast cereal as the woman

• at the same time as the woman.

Suggest what his blood glucose concentration would be at 9:00

The man:

• is an obese office worker

• does not exercise

• eats sugary snacks at his desk.

Give two lifestyle changes a doctor might recommend to the man to help him control his diabetes.

Describe how a low blood glucose concentration would lead to a person feeling weak.

Blood glucose concentration in the human body needs to be kept within the normal range. Figure 4 shows that two hormones control blood glucose concentration.

Name the type of hormonal control shown in Figure 4.

Name hormones A and B in Figure 4.

Explain how the two hormones in Figure 4 keep the blood glucose concentration within the normal range for 3 hours after a meal.

Female reproductive hormones are used to treat infertility in women.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and then Luteinising Hormone (LH) can be injected into a woman to help her become pregnant by sexual intercourse. Explain how injecting FSH and then LH will help a woman to become pregnant.

In some women the injections of FSH and LH are the first steps for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). Describe the remaining steps in IVF.

There are two different processes of cell division in humans. Describe three differences between cell division to form sperm cells compared with cell division to form liver cells.

Figure 5 shows glands in the human body.

Which organ system includes the glands shown in Figure 5 ?

Which gland produces insulin?

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Which gland produces hormones that stimulate the other glands to produce hormones?

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How do hormones travel from one gland to another gland?

Name two glands involved in human reproduction.

Do not refer to glands shown on Figure 5 in your answer.

Ovulation test kits can help women know when they are most fertile.

Ovulation test kits detect the increase in the hormone that stimulates ovulation.

Which hormone is detected by ovulation test kits?

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A new contraceptive drug for men is being tested.

The drug:

• is given in one injection

• stops sperm being able to fertilise eggs

• is effective for up to 13 years.

Evaluate the use of the new drug compared with existing contraceptive methods.

Homeostasis regulates the internal conditions of the human body.

Which two processes are regulated by homeostasis? Tick (✓) two boxes.

Hormones are produced by glands in the endocrine system. Each hormone has an effect on a target organ. Figure 6 shows glands of the endocrine system.

What is the name of gland A ? Tick (✓) one box.

Before eating a sugar-coated cereal a person had a blood glucose concentration of 5.2 mmol/dm³ Soon after eating the cereal the person had a blood glucose concentration of 8.4 mmol/dm³

Calculate the increase in the blood glucose concentration.

The person needed medication to decrease their blood glucose concentration. Suggest what disorder the person has.

There is a problem with the hormone control of the person. What is the problem? Tick (✓) one box.

The person:

• works in an office

• drives to work

• is overweight

• watches the television and reads every night

• drinks a hot chocolate every night.

Suggest two lifestyle changes the person could make to help treat their disorder.

This question is about homeostasis.

Define the term homeostasis.

Name the hormone released if the blood glucose concentration falls too low.

Two people were sent to a hospital to find out if they have diabetes. This is the method used at the hospital.

• Do not eat or drink after midnight. This is called fasting.

• Measure blood glucose concentration at 9.30 am

• Drink a glucose solution at 10.00 am

• Measure blood glucose concentration for the next 3 hours.

Figure 4 shows the results.

Person A and person B have diabetes.

Describe how Figure 4 shows that person B has diabetes. Use data from Figure 4.

Person A and person B had a test to measure the concentration of insulin in their blood when they were fasting. Table 4 shows the results.

Suggest which type of diabetes person A and person B have. Give a reason for each answer. Person A

Person B

Toxic hypoglycaemia syndrome (THS) has caused the deaths of hundreds of starving children in some tropical countries.

• The starving children have had nothing to eat all day.

• The starving children then eat many lychee fruits.

• The lychee fruits contain a molecule which stops an enzyme in the liver working.

• This enzyme normally converts stored fats into glucose.

Children who have eaten during the day are not affected by eating many lychee fruits.

Starving children may die from eating many lychee fruits but children who have eaten during the day are not affected. Explain why.