# Negative feedback

A control system where a change triggers a response that reverses the change and brings the body back to normal.

Biology (school) · Part 03: The human body · Card 11 of 11 · Last updated 2026-10-19

## Analogy

Like cruise control easing off the accelerator when the car goes too fast.

## In practice

High blood glucose causes insulin release, which lowers glucose again.

## Practice

### Flashcards

- **Which gland controls blood glucose with insulin?** The pancreas.

### Interview questions

**Describe how blood glucose is kept steady after a meal.**

- Glucose rises after eating
- The pancreas releases insulin
- Insulin makes the liver store glucose as glycogen
- Blood glucose falls back to normal, which is negative feedback

## Questions people ask

### Why is it called negative feedback?

The response goes in the opposite direction to the change. If glucose goes up, the response brings it down. If it goes down, the response brings it up. Negative here does not mean bad. It means the system works against the change to return to its normal level.

### What is an example of negative feedback in temperature control?

If blood temperature rises above normal, the brain triggers sweating and wider skin vessels, which cool the body. Once the temperature returns to normal, those responses switch off. If it drops, the brain triggers shivering and narrowed vessels to warm you. The system keeps swinging back to the middle.

## Related concepts

- [Hormone](https://studyvisually.com/learn/science/biology-school/biology-school-part-3/biology-school-part-3-concept-9)
- [Homeostasis](https://studyvisually.com/learn/science/biology-school/biology-school-part-3/biology-school-part-3-concept-10)

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