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How insulin released triggers glucose uptake in all cells?

Rabdos

Well-Known Member
Messages
404
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
After few minutes from a meal, insulin is secreted into blood.

How can these molecules go to all the tissues within minutes and trigger glucose uptake in cells? How can insulin reach every region in the body within minutes?

Also, gow can few micrograms of insukin released in blood act on every single cell of the body? As after a meal, supposedly all cells in the body are activated by insulin so that they uptake glucose.
 
Insulin, which is a very small molecule, released into the bloodstream, the blood stream travels around the body at roughly 4 miles per hour or fast walking pace.
 
Ever had general anasthetic? Your out in seconds and the chemical had to go through the lungs first before getting to the brain.
 
Antechinus said:
Ever had general anasthetic? Your out in seconds and the chemical had to go through the lungs first before getting to the brain.
Click to expand...
Lungs to brain is even faster than injection into a vein to brain. It takes just seven seconds for nicotine inhaled to get to the brain.

Edited for clarity.
 
After a meal the insulin released results in 100-200pmol/L. This is very very tiny concentration.

How can this activate all the cells in the body?

Also how can insulin spread to the body almost immediately while glucose absorbed in blood takes 15min to raise glucose in the tissues?
 
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