blood sugar model drug elimination

Let's make a very simple (and biologically inaccurate) model of blood sugar level. Suppose someone's blood alcohol level reaches a peak of 0.08% at exactly 6pm.
Blood sugar levels are measured in mg/dL (mass of sugar per volume of blood). From that point on, blood alcohol (BA) can be modeled with the equation:

At the start of each day, half of all blood sugar is removed from the blood stream. BA(t) = peak – 0.017(t) ß t is time, measured in hours
Each day's total food intake adds 60mg/dL of blood sugar to the blood stream.
1. At what time will BA reach 0.01%? 10:07pm, or ~10pm
1. You went to sleep last night with blood sugar 100mg/dL. 0.01 = 0.08 – 0.017t solves to t = 4.1, so 4.1 hours after 6pm
What will your your sugar level be at the end of today? 110mg/dL
2. At what time will BA reach 0% (totally gone)? 10:42pm, or ~10:40pm
0 = 0.08 – 0.017t solves to t = 4.7, so 4.7 hours after 6pm
2. Same as above, but you went to sleep last night with sugar level St.
Tonight, you will go to sleep with with sugar level St+1, so…
3. Write the blood alcohol model in words.
St+1 = St – 0.5 St + 60 or St+1 = 0.5 St + 60 ß this will be in terms of St Every hour, blood alcohol reduces by 0.017 regardless of how much alcohol is
These two are the same mathematically. I sliiightly prefer the first, because it shows the "removal". in the person's blood.
Hm. BAC is measured in percent, but "reduces by 0.017 percent" is very misleading.

3. At equilibrium, your sugar level each day will be the same, so St+1 = St
According to this model, what's your equilibrium blood sugar level?
Sequilibrium = 0.5 Sequilibrium + 60 mg/dL
0.5 Sequilibrium = 60 mg/dL
Sequilibrium = 120 mg/dL
Technically, you should always keep track of the units (like "+60 mg/dL" rathern than just "+60").
But personally, I find the units a bit distracting, so I tend not to write them till the very end.
4. BA' (prounounced "BA-prime") is the rate at which BA changes over time.
Circle the blood alcohol model rewritten in terms of BA', and explain.
BA' = -0.017 BA' = BA-0.017 BA' = 0.83*BA
BA is getting smaller by the constant 0.017, always (see Q3). So BA' = -0.017.
If you're into calculus, N′ ("N-prime") is shorthand for dN/dt.
The derivative of BA(t) = constant – 0.017t is just -0.017, so BA' = -0.017

4. Fill out the table at right. day person1 person2 person3 Suppose someone's caffeine level reaches a peak of 0.08mg/mL at exactly 6am.
5. Is everyone's blood sugar level From that point on, caffeine (C) can be modeled with the equation:
approaching equilibrium? 100 60 200
0 mg/mL mg/mL mg/mL
Yup! C(t) = peak*0.87t ß t is time, measured in hours
In fact, each person's blood sugar halves the 110 90 160
distance to equilibrium each day. 1 mg/mL mg/mL mg/mL
5. At what time will C reach 0.01mg/mL? 8:56pm, or ~9pm
115 105 140 t
2 mg/mL mg/mL mg/mL
0.01 = 0.08 * 0.87 so t = log0.87(1/8) so t = 14.9, so 14.9 hours after 6am
Cookie Monster eats a high calorie diet,
so his daily meals add 90mg/dL of 118 113 130
3 mg/mL mg/mL mg/mL 6. At what time will C reach 0mg/mL (totally gone)? never!
blood sugar into his blood stream. If you start at 0.08, and keep multiplying it by 0.87, over and over, you'll never reach 0.
6. According to this model, how will CM's diet affect his blood sugar levels?
Cookie Monster's blood sugar equilibrium will be 180 mg/dL (rather than 120). 7. Write the caffeine model in words. (Eg: "The C level halves each hour".)
Note that, according to this model, Cookie Monster's blood sugar will NOT grow forever, spiraling Every hour, 13% of the caffeine is eliminated, so the caffeine remaining is
out of control. (Which is what one might assume would happen.) Different models will make
reduced to 87% of its prior level (or "is multiplied by a factor of 0.87")
different predictions, and that's how we can test our models for biological accuracy and relevance.
Personally, I find equations easier than words. They're so precise.

PollQ will be on: why Cookie Monster's blood sugar does NOT grow out of control. PollQ will be on: which drug model becomes implausible after 24+ hours.