Diabetes & Insulin

"Despite long intervals between meals and the erratic intake of high-glycemic carbohydrates, blood sugar levels normally remain within a narrow range. In most people, this range is from about 70–110 mg per dl. A blood sugar reading of 100 equates to about a fifth of an ounce (5 grams) of sugar total in the bloodstream of an average 165-pound (75-kg) male. The body’s mechanisms for restoring a normal blood glucose level when it steps outside its range (either low or high) are extremely efficient and effective. High blood sugar levels are regulated by the hormone insulin, which is produced by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. These cells are extremely sensitive to variations in blood glucose levels and, under normal circumstances, respond with extraordinary speed to any variation. 

When you eat high-glycemic foods, you suddenly increase the amount of sugar in your blood. This increase triggers the beta cells to release insulin, which travels in the blood to cells throughout the body, where it facilitates the uptake of sugar in the individual cells so that the sugar can be quickly converted to energy. If you eat too much sugar (beyond what the cells can use for energy), insulin tells the body to store the excess sugar as glycogen in the liver (and also, to a lesser degree, in muscle tissue). When the glucose levels come down to acceptable levels, this triggers the beta cells to stop the production and release of insulin, which allows the process to stabilize. When blood glucose levels drop too low, however, the hormone glucagon is released from alpha cells in the pancreas, which triggers the release of the sugar stored in the liver as glycogen, once again bringing blood sugar levels back to normal. Release of insulin is strongly inhibited by the stress hormone noradrenaline (norepinephrine), which is why blood sugar levels increase so dramatically during stress."

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