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The Effects Of Alcohol Lowers Blood Glucose Levels By Stimulating Insulin Production Essay

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Alcohol lowers blood glucose levels by stimulating insulin production. This is detected by the beta cells of the pancreatic islets and the secretion of insulin is induced. Each hormone has a very specific protein that it will bind to. These are called hormone receptors and once they are bound to the hormone they stimulate a particular response in the cell. Hormones circulate the bloodstream until they find a cell that has the ideal receptor attached to it. Once insulin is secreted into the bloodstream, the hormone stimulates cells, especially muscle and adipose cells, to take up glucose from the blood. The transport of glucose into cells is done by facilitated diffusion. Glucose cannot get across a membrane unless specific transporters are in the membrane to provide a channel for the glucose to move through. Since it is facilitated diffusion, glucose will be transported from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration (i.e., down the gradient). The transporters of glucose is called GLUT (GLUcose Transporter), the main transporter is GLUT4. As insulin travels through the bloodstream, it finds its specific receptors on the surface of liver cells, muscle cells and adipose cells. When the insulin binds to the insulin receptor on the cell membranes, cells are stimulated to increase the number of glucose transporters. This is an effect allowing the hormone on the outside of the cell to regulate functions inside the cell even though the hormone has not entered the

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