Just before noon your plasma glucose concentration was 100 m

Just before noon, your plasma glucose concentration was 100 mg dL~^. This plasma glucose is approximately evenly distributed among 3.5 L of plasma and 10.5 L of interstitial fluid that comprises your 14 L of ECF. Glucose is readily distributed in both compartments. You drink a can of soda that contains 35 g of glucose. A. How much would you blood glucose rise if all the glucose in the soda was absorbed and none of it was metabolized? B. Given that post-prandial (after eating) increases in blood glucose amount to maybe 40 mg dL^-1, depending on the meal, over a period of an hour, give a crude estimate of the rate of glucose uptake by the peripheral tissues. Assume that the meal contains 100 g of carbohydrates and all of it is absorbed in one hour.

Solution

Solution:

A. Initial glucose concentration: 100mg/dL

Total total volume of ECF = 14.0 L or 140 dL

Therefore total intital glucose content = 140dL x 100mg/dL = 14,000mg or 14g

Glucose content in soda is 35 g

Therefore final glucose content would be 14g + 35g = 49g or 49,000mg

This 49g is evenly distributed in 140dL of ECF

therefore, final glucose concentration = 49,000mg/ 140dL

= 350mg/dL

Total rise in blood glucose = 350mg/dL-100mg/dL= 250mg/dL

Alternatively it can be solved as,

Glucose content in soda, 35g or 35000mg, would be evenly distribute in 140dL of ECF

Therefore, the change in glucose content would be 35000mg/140dL = 250mg/dL

B. Change in blood glucose level at 1 hour post-meal= 40mg/dL

Therefore total glucose content is 40mg x 140dL =5600 mg

Absorbed glucose=100g or 10,000mg

Rate of glucose uptake by peripheral tissues per hour= (10,000-5600)/ 1hour = 4400mg/hour