Insulin and Glucagon

[El Curandero]

Hi everyone,

I think I'm confused about when insulin and glucagon release will occur..I had a Kaplan question that asked: Which of the following will NOT occur in response to low blood insulin levels?

A: Increased utilization of glucose as fuel because insulin levels drop when there is little glucose in the blood so there will be less glucose available to use as fuel.

In this process would glucagon not be released because there is low blood glucose levels (which means insulin levels will drop) and more glucose would be released into the blood from glycogen? Also, is this glucose that is released by glucagon only utilized by the brain and heart? Thank you for your help on this rather complex subject.

El Curandero

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[Cawolf]

You are correct, but also consider that once glucose is available, insulin levels would rise.

It also sounds like the question stem is asking you evaluate at the present moment.

Low insulin = low blood glucose = less utilization

MCAT question writers often look to see if you understand how two concepts are related (here BGL to insulin level). The best advice I can give is to not over-complicate things. That strategy worked well for me.