Living with Diabetes

Donna is diabetic and she controls her blood sugar levels by injecting herself with insulin.

When the blood sugar level is high, the pancreas produces insulin. When sugar is low, glycogen is produced. Diabetics, who do not produce insulin, must inject it to regulate their blood sugar levels.

Glycogen
Diabetes
Insulin
Pancreas
Liver

see how the blood sugar levels of two young men who have not eaten are measured

Glycogen
Glycogen is a type of carbohydrate that stores energy. It is made in the body by joining unused glucose molecules together. The glycogen is then stored in the liver and muscles until it is converted back into glucose again when the body needs more energy.

Diabetes
A disease caused by the pancreas failing to secrete an adequate amount of insulin which results in an excessive accumulation of glucose in the blood. (adapted from The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary)

Insulin
A hormone secreted in the pancreas that regulates the conversion of glucose to glycogen in the liver. (adapted from The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary)

Pancreas
A gland near the stomach in animals that supplies the duodenum with digestive fluid and secretes insulin into the bloodstream. (adapted from Collins Gem Basic Facts Biology)

Liver
The largest organ in the body that occupies much of the upper part of the abdomen. It functions in many metabolic processes including the regulation of toxic materials in the blood, secreting bile. (adapted from Collins Gem Basic Facts Biology)