Where Does Sugar Enter the Blood?
Ever wondered where does sugar enter the blood? We frequently consume a lot of sugar. Starting with cakes to tea that is sugared, from sweet potatoes to sweets, and so on. The list is endless.
In addition, all foods have sugar, which is vital for normal body functioning. Our bodies use energy in whatever activity we do. A simple task like chewing, for example, uses energy.
The body converts the sugars to energy. It’s present in the form of carbohydrates.
Now, understanding where does sugar enter the blood requires us to understand the digestion process.
Digestion
The process is lengthy. We won’t cover it all because we’re interested in how sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. It begins in the mouth.
Digestion in the Mouth
As mentioned, digestion begins in the mouth. Saliva contains enzymes that help crush the food. The enzyme amylase converts carbohydrates into smaller portions.
Mucus in the saliva ensures easy swallowing of the broken food boluses into the stomach. The food boluses mix with the enzyme amylase, breaking into easy-to-swallow portions. Moreover, the mucus rolls the boluses to the stomach. Contractions and relaxation of the alimentary wall muscles are responsible for that.
Softening and lubrication of the food take place in the mouth.
Digestion in the Stomach
Most proteins get digested here. The food comprises of semi-digested, acidic, and pulpy mix called chyme.
The softened and lubricated boluses are subjected to more mechanical breakdown. Contractions and expansion of the stomach muscles break them further. The gastric glands secrete gastric juices, which mix with the boluses.
Digestion in the Intestines
It’s where most sugar enters the blood. It’s divided into the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum.
Duodenum
It’s the first part of the small intestine. It receives semi-digested food from the stomach. It stimulates the secretion of hormones that stimulate the release of the pancreas. The pancreas releases pancreatic juice that contains the pancreatic amylase enzyme.
It also leads to more lubricant secretion to prevent friction against the mucosal layer. The gastric juice and pancreatic enzymes neutralize, and further digestion occurs during this process. The lower lining of the duodenum begins absorbing some nutrients before they are moved to the jejunum.
Jejunum
Most carbohydrates are broken down into soluble portions with the help of the pancreatic enzyme. At this point, disaccharides emerge from the combination of two simple sugars. The enzymes maltase, sucrase, and lactase make this possible.
Lactase converts simple sugars to lactose and galactose. Maltase converts disaccharides to glucose by hydrolysis.
Sucrase enhances the breakdown of sucrose to fructose and glucose.
After the carbohydrates are digested, glucose becomes more concentrated in the intestines than in the bloodstream, creating a concentration gradient.
Thereafter, Sugar (glucose) from the intestines gets absorbed into the bloodstream through diffusion. The glucose moves across the walls of the intestines to the bloodstream.
Glucose also enters the blood through active transport. The transportation of sodium ions from the intestines to the bloodstream causes a concentration gradient, resulting in a higher concentration of sodium ions in the intestines than in the bloodstream.
It causes the diffusion of sodium ions from the intestinal walls to the bloodstream. The sodium ions are transported along with glucose to the bloodstream.
Lastly, only enough glucose enters the blood as energy. This glucose enables us to carry out our daily activities. After absorption, the liver stores excess glucose as glycogen.
The insulin enzyme is responsible for balancing the glucose levels in the body.
When one goes long hours in a day without eating, the pancreas stops secreting insulin. Production of glucagon by the alpha cells begins. The hormone sends a signal to the liver. The liver converts the stored glycogen to glucose for absorption into the bloodstream.
In summary, long days of starvation lead to the utilization of energy stored in the muscles. When the stored energy and glucose run out of stock, the liver generates glucose from waste products.
Ileum
Now, it’s the last part of the small intestine. It connects to the large intestines. It absorbs nutrients through diffusion to be used by the body, like the jejunum. It ensures complete absorption of the minerals before proceeding to the large intestines.
The substances move from the small intestines to the large intestines, where they are reabsorbed as minerals and water from the products. The large intestines also store fecal matter and ferment hard-to-digest materials.
Then, the food substances move to the rectum from the large intestines. The rectum connects to the brain by sensory nerves to relay signals to release the fecal matter.
The last part is the anus. Its core function is to control the stool. The sphincter muscles that contract and expand accordingly help release the matter when ready.
Additionally, there are cases of not having enough sugar in the body. In such cases, patients get weak and emaciated. Sugar enters the blood through injections or drugs under a doctor’s prescription.
The injections or drugs should contain sugar supplements that enter the bloodstream directly. It must be under a doctor’s direction since excessive use could cause other health complications.
Also, note that eating lots of meals accumulated with sugars causes sugar-related problems such as diabetes. Eventually, World Health Organization (W.H.O) ranked diabetes the ninth leading killer disease in 2019.
Overview
Conclusively, as described in the whole digestion process, it’s clear that our bodies need enough sugars. In summary, this is where sugar enters the blood;
1. Duodenum
As discussed, little nutrients enter the bloodstream. It’s because of the reduced breakdown of nutrients that takes place here.
2. Jejunum
More sugar enters the blood because many activities break down the food particles.
3. Ileum
More sugar enters the blood than in the jejunum. More activities of the breakdown of food substances take place. All nutrients that pass through the jejunum enter the blood.
4. Liver
Stored glucose as glycogen in the liver breaks down to glucose when the body exhausts sugar in the bloodstream.
5. Muscles
During starvation, the body releases the energy stored in the muscles.
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