Homeostasis is the habit of an organism (our human bodies) to regulate its internal environment and to maintain equilibrium through different systems of the body. This means keeping our internal and external functions at a balanced rate or equilibrium. In simple terms it is the balance of our body’s functions. Homeostasis is basically essential to live because our cells rely on the body environment to function. Homeostasis keeps the body environment under control and ensures that the conditions are correct to allow cells to live and function as they should. Without the right body conditions, certain processes such as osmosis and select proteins like enzymes wouldn’t be able to function properly. In order to sustain homeostasis, our body must communicate with itself to …show more content…
They are both secreted in response to blood sugar levels, but in opposite ways.
Insulin is normally secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas. The stimulus for insulin secretion is the detection of high blood glucose levels. Although there is always a low level of insulin secreted by the pancreas, the amount secreted into the blood increases as the blood glucose levels rises. Similarly, as blood glucose falls, the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreatic islets goes down.
Insulin has an effect on a number of cells, including muscle, red blood cells, and fat cells. In response to insulin, these cells absorb glucose out of the blood, having the net effect of lowering the high blood glucose levels into the normal range.
Glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreatic islets in the same manner as insulin...except in the opposite direction. If blood glucose is high, then no glucagon is secreted.
When blood glucose goes low, however, (such as between meals, and during exercise) more and more glucagon is secreted. Like insulin, glucagon has an effect on many cells of the body, but most notably the