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whitehead home > research news > search news archives > 2005 news stories > how insulin aids glucose absorption

diagram of glucose absorption

How insulin aids glucose absorption. When no insulin is present, insulin receptors on the cell surface are inactive, and glucose (shown in dark gray) remains in the blood. But when insulin enters the bloodstream, the insulin receptors activate signals within the cell that allow glucose to enter via transporters such as GLUT4.

Image: John MacNeill

Last updated June 22, 2005.

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