Which hormone is the primary hormone for reducing blood sugar after meals?

Which hormone is the primary hormone for reducing blood sugar after meals?

• A. Testosterone
• B. Glucagon
• C. Estrogen
• D. Insulin

Answer: (D)

After a meal, blood sugar rises and the main hormone that brings it down is insulin. Insulin, released from the pancreas, tells liver, muscle, and fat tissues to take in glucose from the bloodstream. In muscle and fat, it prompts GLUT4 transporters to move to the cell surface, so glucose enters the cells. In the liver, insulin promotes turning glucose into glycogen (glycogenesis) and supports glycolysis, while dampening glucose production by gluconeogenesis. This coordinated action lowers blood glucose toward normal levels after eating. Glucagon, in contrast, raises blood sugar during fasting, not after meals. Sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone regulate other processes and don’t directly drive the rapid glucose uptake and storage that insulin does.

After a meal, blood sugar rises and the main hormone that brings it down is insulin. Insulin, released from the pancreas, tells liver, muscle, and fat tissues to take in glucose from the bloodstream. In muscle and fat, it prompts GLUT4 transporters to move to the cell surface, so glucose enters the cells. In the liver, insulin promotes turning glucose into glycogen (glycogenesis) and supports glycolysis, while dampening glucose production by gluconeogenesis. This coordinated action lowers blood glucose toward normal levels after eating.

Glucagon, in contrast, raises blood sugar during fasting, not after meals. Sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone regulate other processes and don’t directly drive the rapid glucose uptake and storage that insulin does.