PSY-B - Psychology PSY-B 356 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Plants And Animals, Blood Sugar, Starch
6 Mar 2017
School
Department
Professor
Document Summary
When we eat we ingest molecules (from plants & animals): (a) to construct and maintain tissue (b) for energy for muscular movements, keeping warm, brain activity. Involves size of meals, time interval between meals. Involves carbohydrates: sugars (sucrose, fructose, lactose from milk); starches from grains. System stores about 300 calories, excess goes to long term energy storage a fat. Cells in liver convert glucose into glycogen (animal starch) Conversion stimulated by insulin, released by pancreas when blood glucose levels are high. Insulin and glucagon keep blood glucose levels relatively constant. Evidence against glucostatic theory: diabetics (low insulin, high blood glucose) should never feel hungry but are frequently hungry; often obese, initial studies showing glucose receptors in a particular region of the hypothalamus turned out to be in error. B356 lecture 13: the large drop in glucose necessary to produce hunger rarely occurs under normal conditions. System probably only active under extreme conditions (starvation)
