Relationship between glucagon and energy

[Tokspor]

Patients diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus are said to be in "a state of starvation in the midst of plenty." This analogy refers to:

A. extracellular glucose excess.
B. extracellular glucose deficiency.
C. decreased effects of insulin on intestinal mucosa uptake of glucose.
D. deficiency of fatty acids in neural tissue.

The answer is A, the reported reason being that patients with diabetes mellitus lack enough insulin to decrease blood glucose by increasing cellular intake of glucose to make energy.

By this reasoning, would this mean that when glucagon releases glucose into the blood, this leads to a decrease in energy? I'm confused as to whether this is the case, or if glucagon might increase energy by distributing glucose, previously stored as glycogen, throughout the body to other cells.

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[RogueUnicorn]

no, glucagon releases glucose into the blood increasing energy. however, you also need insulin to take up the blood glucose.

 

[Vihsadas]

Don't think about it in terms of energy. Think about it in terms of "glucose usage".

Normal conditions:
Glucagon helps glucose to be released to the blood (extracellular). Then, other tissues can then use that glucose for physiologic function. In this situation, insulin is needed so that the glucose in the extracellular compartment can be taken in by the tissues that need it and used.

In starvation:
The tissues that need glucose can't use it because there isn't any--the person hasn't been able to eat and release glucose to the extracellular compartment (blood).

In Diabetes:
Glucose can still be released to blood, however, now the insulin (for whatever reason) can't allow the glucose to be taken in by the tissues that need it. So in this situation, the person is "starving in the midst of plenty" because they can't use the excess glucose that is in the extracellular compartment even though there is a whole lot of it available.