Insulin

Discovery of Insulin

    In the late 19th century,Insulin - Insulin is administered through injection scientists discovered that diabetes occurred by experimentally removing certain cells, the islets of Langerhans, from the pancreas of dogs.  This finding led to the discovery and isolation of insulin by two Canadian doctors, Dr. Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best, in 1921.  Before insulin was discovered, death from diabetes occurred in a few years for almost every diabetic.  With the discovery of insulin, it has improved the outcome of diabetes.

Insulin

    Insulin is actually a hormone which is secreted by an organ called the pancreas in our body.  The pancreas is situated just behind the stomach and below the liver.  In the pancreas, there are scattered areas called the Isles of Langerhans which contain specialized cells known as the beta cells.  The scattered area are named as such in honor of the German pathologist Paul Langerhans who first described them in 1869.  However, he did not know at that time what function the "islands" performed.

    Our body needs insulin for carbohydrate mechanisms.  After food is ingested, they will be digested to yield glucose.  Glucose will then be absorbed into our bloodstream and brought into our cells so it can be used for energy.  To get into our body cells, glucose needs the hormone insulin.  Insulin is the only hormone in our body with this function.  However, there are exceptions with our brain and muscles which do not need insulin to bring glucose into the respective cells.  These exceptions are important, especially the exception with our muscle cells.  It means by exercising, the muscle cells can remove glucose from the blood without insulin, thus lowering the blood glucose.  This is a very important key aspect in diabetes management to use physical activities or exercises to control a diabetic's blood sugar level.

    Insulin levels normally rise and fall as required to keep the blood glucose level more or less constant.  Our pancreas releases insulin bit by bit all day long and in two bursts after each meal.  The pancreas responds to any fluctuations in our blood glucose.  If the blood sugar goes up, insulin is released and glucose will be brought into cells to burn for energy or stored as glycogen in our liver and muscles.  When the blood sugar is down, insulin release is stopped.  When the insulin supply is lacking or is not effective at performing its task, the glucose cannot get into the cells where it is needed.  Glucose accumulates in the bloodstream, and thus the blood glucose level increases.

    Until recent years, insulin was prepared commercially in the United States from beef or pork pancreas.  Researchers have now developed an insulin drug that is manufactured with a synthetic duplicate of the human genes.  This insulin drug is called Humulin and it is the first consumer health product made with DNA.

    Insulin - A hormone that helps to regulate blood glucoseAs insulin is a protein, it has to be administered through injections or insulin pump because if taken orally, our digestive secretion will destroy it.  When insulin is injected, it is usually subcutaneous injection which means just beneath the skin.

    There are different types of insulin which can be classified into three basic types:

 

Type of Insulin Time (Hours) of Action After Injection
  Onset Peak Duration
Rapid ½ - 1 2 - 3 4 - 8
Intermediate 2 - 4 4 - 8 10 - 16
Prolonged 3 - 5 8 - 12 18 - 20

    Some people with diabetes need to take several insulins at a time or throughout the day.  Usually, the rapid type of insulin is taken before meals to cover the rise in blood glucose from a meal.  It is therefore called the bolus insulin.  The intermediate and prolonged type are used to provide insulin coverage when the rapid type is no more working.  They are also known as background insulin.

Insulin Injection - How To Inject Insulin

    For those people with diabetes who find that fiddling around with syringes and vials of insulin a chore, there is an alternative to this - the Insulin Pen.

 

Diabetes Care Home | Diabetes Mellitus | Insulin | Diabetes Symptom | Diabetes Diagnosis | Diabetes Complication | Diabetes Treatment | Diabetes Care | Herbs for Diabetes

All trademarks, registered trademarks, product names and company names or logos mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
insulin information copyright © 2009 www.diabetic-diabetes-care.com