Eli5 What is glucagon and how does it work?
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Glucagon is one of two hormones that control blood sugar levels, the other being insulin. Both of these are secreted by the pancreas in response to the level of glucose in your blood. Higher glucose means more insulin and less glucagon while lower glucose means the opposite.
When you eat food, your blood sugar rises. Your pancreas senses that and secretes insulin, which causes insulin-sensitive tissues to absorb and use that sugar. As blood sugar levels start to fall, insulin production falls with it. At the same time glucagon production increases. Glucagon signals tissues that store glycogen (mainly your liver in this case) to start converting that glycogen into glucose.
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