A question about the liver

[lisa821]

There is something I don't understand about when the liver kicks out glucose. Does it only put out glucose if you don't wake up from a low during the night? I always wake up from lows--I think--I just don't understand this whole liver thing. Can anyone help me understand how this works? Thanks.

[REDLAN]

My understanding of the role of the liver is as follows:

when you eat the liver firstly turns glucose into glycogen which it stores. The leftover glucose it then turns into fat.

Until you eat again it slowly converts the stored glycogen back into glucose and releases it into the blood stream.

The speed at which the liver converts glycogen into glucose can be altered by several things.

1) is exercise - strenuous exercise causes the liver to dump glucose into the blood stream to supply the muscles.

2) stress - getting anxious or scared can increase the rate at which the liver pumps glucose into the body - dumping glucose can prepare the body for fight or flight.

3) Dawn phemonemon - just before you wake up the body starts producing stress hormones, these cause your liver to release glucose into the body.

And to answer your question...

4) if you go low then the body responds in 2 ways - it produces more glucagon (insulin's antagonist), and it produces stress hormones (this is what causes the shaking and sweats in response to hypos). Both of these cause the liver to release glucose into the blood stream.

the liver's response should prevent your blood sugar from dropping too low, and may even make you high when you wake up in the morning. It may however take some time to kick and may not totally compensate for the low.

your liver's ability to protect can be compromised by..

1) insulin overdose - too much insulin may simply overwhelm the liver.

2) exercise - strenuous exercise may deplete the liver of glycogen, and mean that it is unable to respond the hypo. It is important to ensure that you replenish your glycogen after strenuous exercise.

3) alcohol - alcohol can interfere with the liver's ability to release glucose, essentially because it is busy processing the alcohol.

so the answer is...

the liver continously puts out glucose through out the day. It will put more glucose in response to stressors (exercise, hypo, fear etc.), unless it's function is somehow compromised.

so even if you wake up from a low, it will in all likelihood put out more glucose.

[Cyborg]

Dawn Phenomenon - just before you wake up the body starts producing stress hormones, these cause your liver to release glucose into the body.


Dr. Bernstein says this is from your liver destroying the active insulin in your system. Would be nice to know the facts...


if you go low then the body responds in 2 ways - it produces more glucagon (insulin's antagonist), and it produces stress hormones (this is what causes the shaking and sweats in response to hypos). Both of these cause the liver to release glucose into the blood stream.

the liver's response should prevent your blood sugar from dropping too low, and may even make you high when you wake up in the morning. It may however take some time to kick and may not totally compensate for the low.


As far as I know, I've never had my bg rise by itself due to a hypo and my liver releasing glucose. It would be nice to see some CGMS results that show this actually happens.

[xMenace]

As far as I know, I've never had my bg rise by itself due to a hypo and my liver releasing glucose.

I have many times.

I also think these 'stress' hormones also cause insulin resistance. My testing hints that DP is largely insulin resistance while my 'dusk' phenomenon is largely an increased sugar release.

[BlueSky]

.... I've never had my bg rise by itself due to a hypo and my liver releasing glucose. It would be nice to see some CGMS results that show this actually happens.
Me neither. The highs I get after recovering from a hypo are caused by eating too much! What is thought to be the Somogyi Effect is often just the DP. I had to use a CGMS to prove this to the diabetes nurse. Using the pump confirmed it. My basal rate increases from .5 to .9 units an hour at 3am.