1/23/19

Research Paper

How does the body maintain

homeostasis with blood sugar levels?
By Evan Colenbrander, Ryan Miller, and Sarah Ng
San Marin STEM 2019
1/23/19
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Abstract:

Homeostasis is when the body maintains a stable environment. To test homeostasis in

the human body we used a test subject and monitored their blood sugar levels throughout the
night. We used a blood glucose meter to monitor the glucose level at four different times. When
we received our data it showed how the body regulated it’s blood sugar levels using insulin.
Finally, we analyzed our collected data reflected on our test.

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Introduction:

Homeostasis is the state or tendency to maintain a steady equilibrium internally for living
organisms.3 Our body works to maintain homeostasis in many ways. One example of this is with
our blood sugar level.6 When blood sugar levels are too low, the hormone glucagon is released
and when your blood sugar level is too high, (like after eating food) then insulin is released to
lower blood sugar levels.4 Insulin and glucagon are both made in the pancreas.2 Insulin tells
cells to take glucose from the blood and use it for energy or store it as glycogen. Glucagon then
tells the liver to turn the stored glycogen back into glucose if one’s glucose levels get too low.8
This procedure effectively shows how the body regulates it’s blood sugar levels after eating.

Hypothesis: If blood glucose levels rise due to eating food, then the body will release
insulin to naturally lower these levels to maintain homeostasis.
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Materials/Methods: Results:

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Blood glucose meter Day 1:

Test Subject
Time After Eating Blood Sugar Level
Food for two meals (minutes) (mg/dL)

Procedure: -10 95
1. Test blood sugar 10 minutes before eating 10 122
dinner
2. Test 10 minutes after eating dinner 20 104
3. Test 20 minute after eating 30 104
4. Test 30 minutes after eating Baseline: 95 (measured 4 hours after
eating)*
5. Repeat next day
Day 2:
Discussion:
Time After Eating Blood Sugar Level
The data for Day 1 shows that the test (minutes) (mg/dL)
subject’s blood sugar had started at 95
-10 99
mg/dL before consuming food, and risen to
122 mg/dL after eating dinner. After about 10 110
30 minutes the blood sugar had dropped
20 106
back down to 104 mg/dL. Day 2 had similar
results, the blood sugar started at 99 30 103
mg/dL before eating and increased to 110 Baseline: 99 (measured 4 hours after
mg/dL after eating. Then after some time eating)*
had passed the blood sugar had dropped
back down to 103 mg/dL. Both times after *Average blood sugar levels:
consuming food the blood sugar had risen Less than 140 mg/dL after eating
Less than 100 after 8 hours of eating
only to drop back down to its baseline. This
(baseline)1
lowering of blood sugar after eating is the
body’s way of maintaining blood sugar
levels. In order to decrease blood sugar it
Graphs:
releases insulin, which is just what the Day 1
body did on Day 1 and 2.

Parts of the experiment that went well

was the results of the testing were as
expected and the testing itself went
smoothly. However the experiments were

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done a bit last minute and limited the

amount of tests that could have been done.
If there had been more time to do more
experiments there could have been more
results. More results mean that the results
could have been more precise. An error
could be that the test subject ate a different
dinner for each day, such as pasta and pizza
which have different amounts of sugar.
Day 2
This inequality in sugar content changes
the test subject’s blood sugar different, this
can lead to imprecise results. In the future,
glucagon could be tested instead of insulin.
Testing glucagon can show how the body
maintains blood sugar levels after they
have been leveled.

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Works cited:
1. “Blood Sugar Levels: How Glucose Levels Affect Your Body.” WebMD, WebMD,
www.webmd.com/diabetes/how-sugar-affects-diabetes#1. Accessed 24 Jan. 2019.
2. Campbell, Amy. “What Does Insulin Do?” Diabetes Self-Management, Diabetes Self-
Management, www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/what-does-insulin-do/. Accessed
24 Jan. 2019.
3. “Dictonary.com -&NbspThis Website Is for Sale! -&Nbspdictonary Resources and
Information.” Dictonary.com -&NbspThis Website Is for Sale! -&Nbspdictonary
Resources and Information., dictonary.com/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2019.
4. “How the Body Controls Blood Sugar.” HealthLink BC, www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-
topics/uf6060. Accessed 24 Jan. 2019.
5. “Interactive Resources for Schools.” Homeostasis - Blood Sugar and Temperature,
www.abpischools.org.uk/topic/homeostasis-sugar/2. Accessed 24 Jan. 2019.
6. “What Are Five Different Ways the Body Maintains Homeostasis? | Socratic.” Socratic.org,
socratic.org/questions/what-are-five-different-ways-the-body-maintains-homeostasis.
Accessed 24 Jan. 2019.
7. “What Are Normal Blood Sugar Levels?” WebMD, WebMD,
www.webmd.com/diabetes/qa/what-are-normal-blood-sugar-levels. Accessed 24 Jan.
2019.

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8. “Insulin and Glucagon: How Do They Work?” Healthline, Healthline Media,

www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/insulin-and-glucagon#working-together.

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