Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Concerning the experiment on the blood glucose level in relation to exercise how can I relate the experiment to nutrients? How would I explain the change in blood glucose level on a molecular level?

Hi lelegaky,

Trying to relate blood glucose level to nutrients can be very complex. The amount of glucose in the blood is largely controlled by the liver. It might be interesting to look into differences between healthy people and those with diabetes in terms of what happens to blood glucose level after exercise.
Normally, when we eat too much, our liver absorbs the excess glucose from the blood and stores it for later (as starch). When we exercise some of that stored glucose is released so it can be used by our muscles to power our activity.
However, this whole process can sometimes be disrupted during diabetes.
Here are some informative articles.
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2012/fe ... carbs.html

http://www.joslin.org/info/why_do_blood ... ivity.html

I hope this helps, if you have further questions, let me know.

Elizabeth