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The parts of protein and fat that can be converted to pyruvate can provide glucose for the body, whereas the parts that are converted to acetyl CoA cannot provide glucose but can readily provide fat. The body must have glucose to fuel the actvites of the central nervous system and red blood cells. Without glucose from food, the body will devour ...
Aug 19, 2021 · 1) It is important to manage blood glucose adequately and constantly maintained because a lot of organs depend mainly on the glucose for there energy requirements. RBCs do not have mitochondria and these solely rely on cytoplasmic glycolysis to meet energy requirements. Brain is another organ , it derives its 80% energy from glucose.
The treatment goal for diabetes is to keep blood sugar at normal levels This. The treatment goal for diabetes is to keep blood. School York University; Course Title PSYCH 3170; Uploaded By ProfessorMeerkatPerson540. Pages 129 This preview shows page 90 - 91 out of 129 pages. ...
Mar 17, 2017 · 2016/10/15 Ch 03 HW 7/17 Correct Great job! You have correctly identified the sequence of events that occur to raise blood glucose levels to normal levels, as well as identifying the sequence of events involved in storing glucose after eating a carbohydratecontaining meal and considered all of the different hormonal processes involved …
Glucose levels are measured most commonly to diagnose or to monitor diabetes. It is also important to keep an eye on blood glucose levels during certain situations – for example: during pregnancy, pancreatitis and with increasing age. Normally, blood sugar levels stay within a narrow range during the day.
Symptoms of high blood sugar typically develop at levels above 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). "You can have high blood sugar that's between 150 and 199 and feel perfectly fine," Li-Ng says. Over time, your body can also get used to chronically high blood sugar levels, so you don’t feel the symptoms, she says.
This process is called gluconeogenesis. It reduces glucose consumption by the liver so that as much glucose as possible can be secreted into the bloodstream to maintain blood glucose levels. Glucagon also acts on adipose tissue to stimulate the breakdown of fat stores into the bloodstream.
What is glucagon? Glucagon is a hormone that is involved in controlling blood sugar (glucose) levels. It is secreted into the bloodstream by the alpha cells, found in the islets of langerhans, in the pancreas. The glucagon-secreting alpha cells surround a core of insulin-secreting beta cells, which reflects the close relationship between the two hormones. Glucagon’s role in the body is to prevent blood glucose levels dropping too low. To do this, it acts on the liver in several ways: It stimulates the conversion of stored glycogen (stored in the liver) to glucose, which can be released into the bloodstream. This process is called glycogenolysis. It promotes the production of glucose from amino acid molecules. This process is called gluconeogenesis. It reduces glucose consumption by the liver so that as much glucose as possible can be secreted into the bloodstream to maintain blood glucose levels. Glucagon also acts on adipose tissue to stimulate the breakdown of fat stores into the bloodstream. How is glucagon controlled? Glucagon works along with the hormone insulin to control blood sugar levels and keep them within set levels. Glucagon is released to stop blood sugar levels dropping too low, while insulin is released to stop blood sugar levels rising too high. Release of glucagon is stimulated by low blood glucose (hypoglycaemia), protein-rich meals and adrenaline (another important hormone for combating low glucose). Release of glucagon is prevented by raised blood glucose and carbohydrate in meals, detected by cells in the pancreas. In the longer-term, glucagon is crucial to the body’s response to lack of food. For example, it encourages the use of stored fat for energy in order to preserve the limited supply of glucose. What happens if I have too much glucagon? Continue reading >>
Eating within 2 hours of waking can make a difference in the way you metabolize glucose, or blood sugar, all day. Your glucose level rises every time you eat, and your pancreas produces insulin to shuttle the glucose into your cells, where it’s used for energy.
Carbohydrate foods are the body’s main energy source. When they are digested, they break down to form glucose in the bloodstream. If you make sure you eat regular meals, spread evenly throughout the day, you will help maintain your energy levels without causing large rises in your blood sugar levels.
While there's no substitute for a balanced healthy diet, adding certain foods may help those with diabetes keep sugar levels under control. Coffee and cinnamon have made headlines as foods that might be able to help cut the risk of diabetes or help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. However, don't get the idea that such foods are magic pills for your diabetic diet. It's still important for people with diabetes to eat a balanced healthy diet and exercise to help manage the condition. Nevertheless, some foods, such as white bread, are converted almost immediately to blood sugar, causing a quick spike. Other foods, such as brown rice, are digested more slowly, causing a lower and gentler change in blood sugar. If you are trying to follow a healthy diet for diabetes, here are 6 suggestions that may help to keep your blood sugar in check. Porridge Porridge can help control blood sugar and the charity Diabetes UK recommends it to see you through the morning. Even though porridge is a carbohydrate, it's a very good carbohydrate. Because it's high in soluble fibre, it's slower to digest and it won't raise your blood sugar as much or as quickly. It's going to work better at maintaining a healthy blood sugar level over time. Not only does this high-quality carbohydrate offer a steadier source of energy than white bread, it can also help with weight loss. The soluble fibre in oats helps to keep us feeling fuller longer. That's important for people with type 2 diabetes, who tend to be overweight. If you reduce the weight, you usually significantly improve the glucose control. Barley isn't as popular as oats, but there's some evidence that barley, which is also high in soluble fibre, may also help with blood glucose control. Besides oats and barley, most whole grains are going to Continue reading >>
Blood sugar, or blood glucose, is sugar that the bloodstream carries to all the cells in the body to supply energy. Blood sugar or blood glucose measurements represent the amount of sugar being transported in the blood during one instant. The sugar comes from the food we eat. The human body regulates blood glucose levels so that they are neither too high nor too low. The blood's internal environment must remain stable for the body to function. This balance is known as homeostasis. The sugar in the blood is not the same as sucrose, the sugar in the sugar bowl. There are different kinds of sugar. Sugar in the blood is known as glucose. Blood glucose levels change throughout the day. After eating, levels rise and then settle down after about an hour. They are at their lowest point before the first meal of the day, which is normally breakfast. How does sugar get into the body's cells? When we eat carbohydrates, such as sugar, or sucrose, our body digests it into glucose, a simple sugar that can easily convert to energy. The human digestive system breaks down carbohydrates from food into various sugar molecules. One of these sugars is glucose, the body's main source of energy. The glucose goes straight from the digestive system into the bloodstream after food is consumed and digested. But glucose can only enter cells if there is insulin in the bloodstream too. Without insulin, the cells would starve. After we eat, blood sugar concentrations rise. The pancreas releases insulin automatically so that the glucose enters cells. As more and more cells receive glucose, blood sugar levels return to normal again. Excess glucose is stored as glycogen, or stored glucose, in the liver and the muscles. Glycogen plays an important role in homeostasis, because it helps our body function du Continue reading >>
Glucagon forces the liver to release stored glucose, which causes the blood sugar to rise. Insulin and glucagon are both released by islet cells in the pancreas. These cells Continue reading >>. How insulin and glucagon work to regulate blood sugar levels.
Glucose molecules are delivered to cells by the circulating blood and therefore, to ensure a constant supply of glucose to cells, it is essential that blood glucose levels be maintained at relatively constant levels. Level constancy is accomplished primarily through negative feedback systems, which ensure that blood glucose concentration is maintained within the normal range of 70 to 110 milligrams (0.0024 to 0.0038 ounces) of glucose per deciliter (approximately one-fifth of a pint) of blood. Negative feedback systems are processes that sense changes in the body and activate mechanisms that reverse the changes in order to restore conditions to their normal levels. Negative feedback systems are critically important in homeostasis, the maintenance of relatively constant internal conditions. Disruptions in homeostasis lead to potentially life-threatening situations. The maintenance of relatively constant blood glucose levels is essential for the health of cells and thus the health of the entire body. Major factors that can increase blood glucose levels include glucose absorption by the small intestine (after ingesting a meal) and the production of new glucose molecules by liver cells. Major factors that can decrease blood glucose levels include the transport of glucose into cells (for use as a source of energy or to be stored for future use) and the loss of glucose in urine (an abnormal event that occurs in diabetes mellitus). Insulin and Glucagon In a healthy person, blood glucose levels are restored to normal level Continue reading >>
The extra insulin allows the glucose to be taken up by the liver and other tissues, so cells get the glucose they need and blood-sugar levels stay normal. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin.
When blood sugar is too high, the pancreas secretes more insulin. When blood sugar levels drop, the pancreas releases glucagon to bring them back up. Blood sugar and health The body converts carbohydrates from food into sugar (glucose), which serves as a vital source of energy.
Blood sugar testing is an important part of diabetes care. Find out when to test your blood sugar level, how to use a testing meter, and more. If you have diabetes, self-testing your blood sugar (blood glucose) can be an important tool in managing your treatment plan and preventing long-term complications of diabetes.
Glucose levels are measured most commonly to diagnose or to monitor diabetes. It is also important to keep an eye on blood glucose levels during certain situations – for example: during pregnancy, pancreatitis and with increasing age. Normally, blood sugar levels stay within a narrow range during the day.
If you stay fit and active throughout your life, you’ll be able to better control your diabetes and keep your blood glucose level in the correct range. Controlling your blood glucose level is essential to preventing long-term complications, such as nerve pain and kidney disease. Exercise has so many benefits, but the biggest one is that it makes it easier to control your blood glucose (blood sugar) level. People with type 2 diabetes have too much glucose in their blood, either because their body doesn’t produce enough insulin to process it, or because their body doesn’t use insulin properly (insulin resistant). In either case, exercise can reduce the glucose in your blood. Muscles can use glucose without insulin when you’re exercising. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re insulin resistant or if you don’t have enough insulin: when you exercise, your muscles get the glucose they need, and in turn, your blood glucose level goes down. If you’re insulin resistant, exercise actually makes your insulin more effective. That is—your insulin resistance goes down when you exercise, and your cells can use the glucose more effectively. Exercise can also help people with type 2 diabetes avoid long-term complications, especially heart problems. People with diabetes are susceptible to developing blocked arteries (arteriosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack. Exercise helps keep your heart healthy and strong. Plus, exercise helps you maintain good cholesterol—and that helps you avoid arteriosclerosis. Additionally, there ar Continue reading >>
Maintaining stable blood sugar levels has big implications for good health. Getting through the day with no blood sugar spikes and drops keeps your energy even, from morning to night. Blood sugar peaks and valleys can cause mood swings, energy dips, fatigue, irritability, headaches, cravings for carbohydrates or coffee, lightheadedness, a shaky feeling if you skip a meal or the feeling that you need a nap after eating. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, you might want to think about blood sugar and how much better you can feel when you avoid the highs and lows. The fix for all of these symptoms is blood sugar regulation. Many hormones come into play, such as insulin. After eating a meal containing carbs, our bodies break the carbs down into simple sugars that are then carried in the bloodstream. The pancreas responds by secreting insulin. Insulin's job is to travel through the bloodstream seeking sugar and transport it into cells for storage in the form of glucose. Glucose levels in the blood then come back down to the proper level. When blood glucose is chronically high, damage can occur to the liver, pancreas, kidney, blood vessels, brain and nerves. Keeping blood sugars at a reasonable level is important for overall health. The body's first choice when it goes to store sugar is to put it in the liver and the muscles. The problem arises when these storage sites become full. The body then needs to find another place to put it, storing sugar in the form of triglycerides. Some of the triglycerides remain in the blood, and some get stored as body fat. The body uses carbohydrates for fuel first. If you eat a steady supply of carbs, they are readily available to the body, and it doesn't have to take carbs out of storage when it needs some energy. You never get to tap Continue reading >>
The liver both stores and produces sugar… The liver acts as the body’s glucose (or fuel) reservoir, and helps to keep your circulating blood sugar levels and other body fuels steady and constant. The liver both stores and manufactures glucose depending upon the body’s need. The need to store or release glucose is primarily signaled by the hormones insulin and glucagon. During a meal, your liver will store sugar, or glucose, as glycogen for a later time when your body needs it. The high levels of insulin and suppressed levels of glucagon during a meal promote the storage of glucose as glycogen. The liver makes sugar when you need it…. When you’re not eating – especially overnight or between meals, the body has to make its own sugar. The liver supplies sugar or glucose by turning glycogen into glucose in a process called glycogenolysis. The liver also can manufacture necessary sugar or glucose by harvesting amino acids, waste products and fat byproducts. This process is called gluconeogenesis. When your body’s glycogen storage is running low, the body starts to conserve the sugar supplies for the organs that always require sugar. These include: the brain, red blood cells and parts of the kidney. To supplement the limited sugar supply, the liver makes alternative fuels called ketones from fats. This process is called ketogenesis. The hormone signal for ketogenesis to begin is a low level of insulin. Ketones are burned as fuel by muscle and other body organs. And the sugar is saved for the organs that need it. The terms “gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis and ketogenesis” may seem like compli Continue reading >>
Blood Glucose Levels Rise After You Eat : Cells Need A Steady Supply Of Blood Glucose (1) Glucose is carried in your blood to cells throughout your body. Thus glucose is an important fuel for cells. If the amount of glucose in your blood were to drop too low your cells would be deprived of fuel. Most of your cells can use fat for energy but your brain and nervous system depend on glucose for fuel. To keep these cells fed your blood must maintain a constant supply of glucose. The amount of glucose in the blood is regulated at about 60 to 100 mg per 100 ml of blood (70 to 120 mg/100 ml serum) by hormones from the pancreas. If these hormones don't work properly, glucose levels can rise too highas occurs in diabetes. Although the symptoms of high blood sugar are not always felt right away, diabetes has serious long-term consequences. After you eat, the carbohydrate in your food is digested and absorbed and enters your bloodstream as glucose. How quickly and how high blood glucose rises after carbohydrate is consumed is referred to as glycemic response. The glycemic response of a specific food can be quantified by its glycemic index. The higher the glycemic index, the greater the rise in blood sugar after consuming that food. However, since we typically eat meals containing a variety of foods, knowing the glycemic index of a specific food does not tell us much about what blood glucose levels will be after eating a meal. Glycemic response is affected by the amount and type of carbohydrate in a food or meal as well as its fat and protein content. Because carbohydrate must be digested and absorbed to enter the blood as glucose, how quickly a food leaves the stomach affects how quickly glucose gets into the blood. Carbohydrate consumed alone leaves the stomach quickly and causes Continue reading >>
The liver is especially important for its ability to store glycogen and prevent low blood glucose. Video of the Day Maintaining blood glucose within the normal range is referred to as glucose homeostasis. Your brain and nervous system depend solely on glucose for fuel and require a steady supply of glucose at all times. It is critical that your blood glucose concentration remains within the range of 70 to 110 mg/dL to supply your brain and nervous system with adequate fuel. Low blood glucose can lead to symptoms such as dizziness or lack of concentration, whereas, over time, high blood glucose can damage blood vessels and nerves. Role of the liver Your liver plays a key role in blood glucose homeostasis. After a meal when blood glucose is high, the liver has the ability to remove glucose from the blood and store it as part of a molecule called glycogen. In between meals, as blood glucose begins to decline, the liver can make new glucose to release into the blood. Hormones, such as insulin and glucagon, regulate these homeostatic processes. In your body, glycogen serves as the glucose storage molecule. Glucose is stored as glycogen when blood glucose concentrations exceed energy demands. Glycogen is found primarily in your liver, but is found in smaller amounts in your muscles. Glycogen can be synthesized, or broken down, according to the needs of your body. Insulin directs the synthesis of glycogen, thus helping to lower elevated blood glucose. In response to the hormone glucagon, stored liver glycogen can be broken down and released into the blood to help raise blood glucose. In addition to Continue reading >>
Homeostatic Process Homeostatic processes ensure a constant internal environment by various mechanisms working in combination to maintain set points. Learning Objectives Give an example and describe a homeostatic process. Key Takeaways Key Points Homeostasis is the body’s attempt to maintain a constant and balanced internal environment, which requires persistent monitoring and adjustments as conditions change. Homeostatic regulation is monitored and adjusted by the receptor, the command center, and the effector. The receptor receives information based on the internal environment; the command center, receives and processes the information; and the effector responds to the command center, opposing or enhancing the stimulus. Key Terms homeostasis: the ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a stable equilibrium effector: any muscle, organ etc. that can respond to a stimulus from a nerve Homeostatic Process The human organism consists of trillions of cells working together for the maintenance of the entire organism. While cells may perform very different functions, the cells are quite similar in their metabolic requirements. Maintaining a constant internal environment with everything that the cells need to survive (oxygen, glucose, mineral ions, waste removal, etc.) is necessary for the well-being of individual cells and the well-being of the entire body. The varied processes by which the body regulates its internal environment are collectively referred to as homeostasis. Homeostasis Homeostasis, in a general sense, refers to stability, balance, or equilibrium. Physiologically, it is the body’s attempt to maintain a constant and balanced internal environment, which requires persistent monitoring and adjustments as conditions Continue reading >>
The brain relies almost exclusively on glucose or sugar for energy which it draws directly from the blood, furthermore the brain does not store glucose and only stores tiny amounts of glycogen (reserve glucose) in reserve for times when our blood sugar levels fall. The brains high demand for glucose and its lack of reserves means the brain is highly dependent on a steady supply of sugar from the blood and when blood sugar levels fall either too low or just too quickly the first part of the body to suffer is the brain and consequently our mental function. What happens when blood sugar drops is it diminishes the brains capacity to produce neurotransmitters, transmit signals and perform essential maintenance. Almost everyone will be familiar with this effect, it’s the ‘spaced out’ shaky, irritable feeling and difficulty in concentrating we experience when we haven’t eaten anything for too long. In people without mental health problems this is just an unpleasant experience but in people with mental health problems that already have poor brain function a bout of low blood sugar that compromises brain function even further can trigger a bout of more intense symptoms of the problem, for example it could trigger a wave of increased depression, anxiety or OCD and as you may have already noticed once an intense bout of yo Continue reading >>
On average this target range is 60-100 mg/dL for an adult although people can be asymptomatic at much more varied levels. In order to maintain this range there are two main hormones that control blood glucose levels: insulin and glucagon. Insulin is released when there are high amounts of glucose in the blood stream. Glucagon is released when there are low levels of glucose in the blood stream. There are other hormones that effect glucose regulation and are mainly controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. Blood glucose regulation is very important to the maintenance of the human body. The brain doesn’t have any energy storage of its own and as a result needs a constant flow of glucose, using about 120 grams of glucose daily or about 60% of total glucose used by the body at resting state. [1] With out proper blood glucose regulation the brain and other organs could starve leading to death. Insulin A key regulatory pathway to control blood glucose levels is the hormone insulin. Insulin is released from the beta cells in the islets of Langerhans found in the pancreas. Insulin is released when there is a high concentration of glucose in the blood stream. The beta cells know to release insulin through the fallowing pathway depicted in figure 2. [2,3]Glucose enters the cell and ATP is produce in the mitochondria through the Krebs cycle and electron transport chain. This increase in ATP causes channels to closes. These channels allow potassium cations to flow into the cell. [2,3,]With these channels closed the inside of the cell becomes more negative causin Continue reading >>
How do hormones regulate blood sugar levels? ‘Blood glucose testing’ is an activity designed to increase understanding of the hormones that control blood sugar in the body, and why this control is important in staying healthy. This activity is designed for students aged 11-14 and involves practical science techniques such as pipetting. Students can gain a practical understanding of the hormones that are secreted in the body when blood sugar levels are too high or too low. Aims: To introduce insulin and glucagon as hormones that help control blood sugar levels To give students the chance to develop practical science skills using pipettes and test tubes Curriculum links: Homeostasis Hormonal control in humans Hormones and eating Take home messages: blood glucose levels need to be kept in a very narrow “safe” range for our bodies to function correctly the hormones glucagon and insulin regulate blood sugar levels Glucagon is produced by the pancreas and stimulates glucose to be released from glycogen in the liver Insulin is produced by the pancreas and allows cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream Discussion points: Diabetes occurs when blood glucose levels are not regulated properly. Type-1 diabetes is when you no longer produce insulin and your blood glucose level can become dangerously high unless you are given insulin regularly by injection. Type-2 diabetes is when you don’t produce enough insulin or no longer respond to the insulin you do produce. Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and tends to be diagnosed in children. Type-2 diabetes tends to affect older people or those who are over-weight. Continue reading >>
Glucose levels are measured most commonly to diagnose or to monitor diabetes. It is also important to keep an eye on blood glucose levels during certain situations – for example: during pregnancy, pancreatitis and with increasing age. Normally, blood sugar levels stay within a narrow range during the day. A good level is between 4 to 8mmol/l. After you consume food, your blood sugar level will rise and after you have had a night’s rest, they will usually be lowest in the morning. Diabetes is a common disease in our society, affecting 2-5% of the general population, with many more people unaware that they may be affected by this condition. Diabetes results from a lack of insulin, or insensitivity of the body towards the level of insulin present. Thus if you have diabetes, your blood sugar level may move outside the normal limits. Why is controlling blood sugar levels so important? Carbohydrate foods are the body’s main energy source. When they are digested, they break down to form glucose in the bloodstream. If you make sure you eat regular meals, spread evenly throughout the day, you will help maintain your energy levels without causing large rises in your blood sugar levels. It is also important to maintain a stable and balanced blood sugar level, as there is a limited range of blood sugar levels in which the brain can function normally. Regular testing of your blood sugar levels allows you to monitor your level of control and assists you in altering your diabetes management strategy if your levels aren’t within the expected/recommended range. Long term c Continue reading >>
Glucose levels are measured most commonly to diagnose or to monitor diabetes. It is also important to keep an eye on blood glucose levels during certain situations – for example: during pregnancy, pancreatitis and with increasing age. Normally, blood sugar levels stay within a narrow range during the day. A good level is between 4 to 8mmol/l. After you consume food, your blood sugar level will rise and after you have had a night’s rest, they will usually be lowest in the morning. Diabetes is a common disease in our society, affecting 2-5% of the general population, with many more people unaware that they may be affected by this condition. Diabetes results from a lack of insulin, or insensitivity of the body towards the level of insulin present. Thus if you have diabetes, your blood sugar level may move outside the normal limits. Why is controlling blood sugar levels so important? Carbohydrate foods are the body’s main energy source. When they are digested, they break down to form glucose in the bloodstream. If you make sure you eat regular meals, spread evenly throughout the day, you will help maintain your energy levels without causing large rises in your blood sugar levels. It is also important to maintain a stable and balanced blood sugar level, as there is a limited range of blood sugar levels in which the brain can function normally. Regular testing of your blood sugar levels allows you to monitor your level of control and assists you in altering your diabetes management strategy if your levels aren’t within the expected/recommended range. Long term c Continue reading >>
High levels of blood sugar can damage the kidneys and cause them to fail, thus eliminating their ability to filter out waste, which over time can lead to kidney disease (nephropathy). What are the Kidneys? The kidneys are bean-shaped organs that are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage with one on each side of the spine. Of the many roles they perform, one of the most important is the removal of waste products from the blood, which come from food and the normal breakdown of active tissues, such as muscles . Other key functions of the kidneys include the secretion of three important hormones: Erythropoietin - which is released in response to hypoxia (low levels of oxygen at tissue level) to stimulate the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Calcitriol - the active form of vitamin D, which helps maintain calcium for bones and for normal chemical balance in the body Renin - an enzyme involved in the regulation of blood pressure The Kidneys and Blood Sugar Levels Each kidney is made up of millions of tiny blood vessels called nephrons, which act as filters to help keep the blood clean. Each nephron interlinks with a small tube to keep useful substances, such as proteins and red blood cells, in the bloodstream and allow extra fluid and waste products to pass through, where they become part of the urine. This filtration system can, however, be damaged by high levels of blood sugar. Excess glucose in the bloodstream can cause the kidneys to filter too much blood. Over time, this extra w Continue reading >>
Homeostasis is the tendency to resist change in order to maintain a stable, relatively constant internal environment. Homeostasis typically involves negative feedback loops that counteract changes of various properties from their target values, known as set points. In contrast to negative feedback loops, positive feedback loops amplify their initiating stimuli, in other words, they move the system away from its starting state. What's the temperature in the room where you're sitting right now? My guess would be that it's not exactly 98.6F/ 37.0C. Yet, your body temperature is usually very close to this value. In fact, if your core body temperature doesn't stay within relatively narrow limits—from about 95F/ 35C to 107F/ 41.7C—the results can be dangerous or even deadly. The tendency to maintain a stable, relatively constant internal environment is called homeostasis. The body maintains homeostasis for many factors in addition to temperature. For instance, the concentration of various ions in your blood must be kept steady, along with pH and the concentration of glucose. If these values get too high or low, you can end up getting very sick. Homeostasis is maintained at many levels, not just the level of the whole body as it is for temperature. For instance, the stomach maintains a pH that's different from that of surrounding organs, and each individual cell maintains ion concentrations different from those of the surrounding fluid. Maintaining homeostasis at each level is key to maintaining the body's overall function. Biological systems like those of your body are constantly being pushed away from their balance points. For instance, when you exercise, your muscles increase heat production, nudging your body temperature upward. Similarly, when you Continue reading >>