Diabetes (WJEC GCSE Biology)
Revision Note
Diabetes
Diabetes is a common disease in which a person has a high blood glucose level
Type 1 diabetes:
This is a disorder in which the pancreas fails to produce sufficient insulin to control blood glucose levels
Uncontrolled high blood glucose levels characterise type 1 diabetes
Cause:
Scientists think this is a result of a person’s immune system destroying the cells of the pancreas that make insulin
Treatment:
Type 1 diabetes is normally treated with insulin injections several times a day
Diet needs to be controlled, such as limiting simple carbohydrates which are converted quickly into glucose and cause blood sugar levels to rapidly rise
A pancreas transplant can be a treatment for people with Type 1 diabetes, although this is not a common procedure and is used when someone has other complications
Type 2 diabetes:
The body cells no longer respond to insulin produced by the pancreas - the person still makes insulin but their cells are resistant to it and don’t respond as well as they should
This can also lead to uncontrolled high blood glucose levels
Cause:
Obesity is a big risk factor for Type 2 diabetes; probably because a person who is obese may consume a diet high in carbohydrates, and over-production of insulin results in resistance to it developing
Treatment:
A carbohydrate-controlled diet and an exercise regime are common treatments for Type 2 diabetes
Detecting diabetes
Diabetes can be detected by the presence of glucose in urine (as excess urine is excreted from the body rather than being stored in the liver as glycogen)
This can be investigated practically using Benedict's solution
Method:
Add equal volumes of an artificial urine sample and Benedict's solution to a test tube
Gently heat the solution for five minutes
If glucose is present, the solution will turn from blue to orange
Repeat for other artificial urine samples
Testing artificial urine diagram
Samples of artificial urine can be tested for the presence of glucose using Benedict's solution
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