Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Coordination and Control
Insulin
What is Insulin?
A hormone secreted by the pancreas when the blood glucose concentration rises above the set point. It causes body cells to take up more glucose from the blood and causes the liver to convert glucose into glycogen for storage, so the blood glucose concentration falls back towards the set point.
This definition is part of the Coordination and Control chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Common mistakes with Insulin
- Direction check. Insulin goes with high and pushes down. Glucose to glycogen. Out of the blood, into store. If your answer has insulin doing anything that raises blood glucose, you have written glucagon's job under insulin's name.
Questions students ask about Insulin
What does insulin do?
Insulin is released by the pancreas when the blood glucose concentration rises above the set point. It causes body cells to take up more glucose from the blood, and causes the liver to convert glucose into glycogen for storage, so the blood glucose concentration falls back towards the set point.
What is Type 1 diabetes and how is it treated?
In Type 1 diabetes the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. The blood glucose concentration therefore becomes abnormally high, and glucose appears in the urine. It is treated by the administration of insulin, under professional medical guidance. Insulin replaces the missing hormone so that blood glucose can be controlled; it does not cure the condition, and the condition is not caused by eating sugar.