Homeostasis
10/18/20
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25
LESSON OBJECTIVES/5 MIN.
❖ Describe homeostasis as the maintenance of a constant internal
environment.
❖ Explain control by negative feedback.
❖ Describe how the hormones insulin and glucagon control blood
glucose concentration.
❖ Outline the symptoms and treatment of Type 1 diabetes.
2
10_07/2025
Lesson introduction /essential
questions/15min.
• [Link] reference to characteristics of living things,what is meant by
homeostasis?
• [Link] do you understand by internal environment of the body?
• [Link] examples of parameters/factors/conditions in the body that
are to be kept constant
• [Link] is the need for keeping those factors constant within the
body?/Need for homeostasis
3
•DID YOU KNOW ?
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• Homeostasis is defined as the maintenance of a constant
internal environment(blood and tissue fluid) within the
body.
• This enables the body to function effectively despite the changes
in the external or internal environment.
• Keeping a constant temperature of around 37 °C helps
enzymes to work at the optimum rate.
• Keeping a constant amount of water means that your cells are
not damaged by absorbing or losing too much water by osmosis.
• Keeping a constant concentration of glucose means that there
is always enough fuel for respiration.
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When one of these conditions deviates far away from the
normal if not brought back within set limits the body will not
function properly and the eventual consequence without
medical intervention will be death
o Controlling blood glucose concentration
See p.267 of the book for the reasons why this is very
important part of homeostasis
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Role of insulin/essential questions/10min.
• [Link] is the role of insulin in homeostasis?
• Q2. draw two flow diagrams for the control of blood glucose level,,
one starting with ‘blood glucose level too high ‘on the left-hand side
of a blank page in your book and the other starting with ‘blood
glucose too low’ on the right-hand side. In your diagrams you should
include not only the receptor, but also the effectors and how their
response returns the glucose concentration to a ‘normal’ point.
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The Role of Insulin
• Insulin is secreted into the blood at times
when blood glucose levels are high
• This is (most often) directly after a meal
• The kidneys can only cope with a certain
level of glucose in the blood
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• Our blood glucose concentration does not absolutely stay
constant. A normal concentration is somewhere between 0.8
and 1.1mg/cm3 of blood.
• As we have 5dm3 of blood in our body,this means we usually have
a minimum of 4g of glucose circulation in our blood at any one
time.
This range of normal values is called set point
•
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• If the level gets too high, glucose
gets excreted and is lost in the urine
• This is like running a car with a hole in the petrol
tank; valuable fuel is being wasted
• To avoid this, insulin temporarily converts
excess glucose into glycogen in the liver and
muscles
• Insulin decreases blood glucose concentration
• The glycogen is converted back to glucose
several hours later when blood glucose levels
have dipped due to respiration in all tissues
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The Concept of Negative
Feedback/10MIN.
• The negative feedback operates in the human body to detect the
changes or imbalances in the internal environment and restore
the balance.
• Negative feedback occurs when conditions change from the ideal
or set point and returns conditions to this set point
• It works in the following way:
• if the level of something rises, control systems are switched on to reduce
it again
• if the level of something falls, control systems are switched on to raise
it again
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Sequence of events in a negative feedback
mechanism
❖ An imbalance is detected
❖ A control system is stimulated
❖ A control system responds
❖ A message sent to the target organ
❖ The target organ responds
❖ It opposes /reverses the imbalance
❖ Balance is restored
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Blood Glucose Control
• Blood glucose levels are controlled by a negative feedback
mechanism involving the production of
two hormones - insulin and glucagon
• Both hormones which control blood glucose concentration
are made in the pancreas
• Insulin is produced when blood glucose
rises and stimulates liver and muscle cells to convert
excess glucose into glycogen to be stored
• Glucagon is produced when blood glucose
falls and stimulates liver and muscle cells to convert
stored glycogen into glucose to be released into the
blood
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Negative feedback regulation of blood glucose
levels
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Type 1 Diabetes/
❑ Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the blood glucose levels are
not able to be regulated as the insulin-secreting cells in the
pancreas are not able to produce insulin
• This means that blood glucose levels are often far too high
• It can be treated by injecting insulin
• The extra insulin causes the liver to convert glucose into
glycogen, which reduces the blood glucose level
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❑ Symptoms of diabetes include extreme thirst,
weakness or tiredness, blurred vision, weight loss and
loss of consciousness in extreme cases
• People with Type 1 diabetes have to monitor their
blood glucose levels throughout the day as their
levels of physical activity and their diet affect the
amount of insulin needed
• They can help to control their blood glucose level by
being careful with their diet - eating foods that will
not cause large increases in blood glucose level, and
by exercising, which can lower blood glucose levels
due to increased respiration in the muscles
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Type 1 Diabetes-vs Type 2
• Cause: The pancreas does not produce insulin.
• This is usually due to the immune system attacking
insulin-producing cells (autoimmune disease). -
• When it arises: Typically starts in childhood or adolescence. -
• Symptoms: - High blood glucose levels, Frequent urination -
Thirst - Fatigue - Weight loss
• Treatment: - Regular insulin injections - Controlled diet -
Regular blood sugar monitoring -
• Prevention: - Not preventable; it’s often genetic or
autoimmune-related. 10/18/2025 22
Type 2 Diabetes-
• Cause: The body’s cells no longer respond to insulin properly
(insulin resistance), and/or the pancreas may produce less
insulin over time.
• When it arises: Usually in adulthood, often linked to obesity
and poor lifestyle.
• Symptoms: Similar to Type 1, but often milder and develop
slowly:
• Fatigue - Frequent urination - Thirst - Slow wound
healing
• Treatment: - Balanced diet - Regular exercise - Medication
(sometimes insulin if severe)
• Prevention: - Healthy lifestyle - Maintaining a healthy weight
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GOD’S BIG STORY:
• [Link] is God’s intention for this concept of
homeostasis
• [Link] went wrong and how has God’s purpose
distorted?
• [Link] does God want us to respond and care?
• Where is the future hope found?
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Skin and homeostasis
Draw two flow diagrams for the control of core
body temperature, one starting with ‘body too hot’
on the left-hand side of a blank piece of paper and
the other starting with ‘body too cold’ on the
right-hand side. In their diagrams they should
include not only the receptor, but also the
effectors and how their response returns the core
body temperature to a ‘normal’ point of around
37 °C. 10/18/2025 25
The Skin & Homeostasis
• Control of body temperature is a homeostatic mechanism
• Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant internal
environment
• This means that internal conditions within your
body (such as temperature, blood pressure, water
concentration, glucose concentration etc) need to be kept
within set limits in order to ensure that reactions in body
cells can function and therefore the organism as a whole can
live
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• The human body maintains the temperature at which enzymes
work best, around 37°C
• If body temperature increases over this temperature, enzymes
will denature and become less effective at catalysing reactions
such as respiration
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A cross-section of human skin
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Temperature Regulation by the Skin
• Temperature Regulation by the Skin
• Regulation is controlled by the brain which
contains receptors sensitive to the temperature of the blood
• The skin also has temperature receptors and sends nervous
impulses to the brain via sensory neurones
• The brain responds to this information by sending nerve
impulses to effectors in the skin to maintain the temperature
within a narrow range of the optimum, 37°C
• Fatty tissue under the dermis acts as a layer of insulation to
prevent too much body heat being lost through the skin
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Homeostatic responses to changes in body
temperature
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Vasoconstriction & Vasodilation:
• When we are cold blood flow in capillaries slows down because
arterioles leading to the skin capillaries get narrower - this is known
as vasoconstriction
• This reduces the amount of heat lost from blood by radiation as
less blood flows through the surface of the skin
• When we are hot blood flow in capillaries increases because blood
vessels to the skin capillaries get wider - this is known
as vasodilation
• This cools the body as blood (which carries heat around the body) is
flowing at a faster rate through the skin’s surface and so more heat is
lost by radiation
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Responses in the skin when hot
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Responses in the skin when cold
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