S1E2 What is glucagon?
Welcome back! It seems that most people haven’t heard nearly as much about glucagon as they have regarding insulin, including myself. For this week, here is a short introduction to glucagon and its role in mai training blood sugar.
Glucagon is a hormone produced by the alpha cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. ⚛️
Its role is to raise blood glucose levels, (especially during intense exercise and hypoglycaemia bracket low blood sugar levels) - it acts as a counter regulatory insulin, which lowers blood glucose. When the blood glucose levels drop, glucagon is released into the bloodstream ad primarily targets the liver to restore normal glucose levels through several processes:
1. Glycogenolysis – stimulates the breakdown of glycogen into glucose, which is then released into the bloodstream. This occurs in the skeletal muscles and liver.
2. Inhibition of glycogenesis – prevents the liver from storing glucose as…