You probably have heard of insulin, whether you are diabetic or not. Many of us don’t know much else about it. Today my goal is to correct that and give you a basic understanding of insulin. Let’s dive into what insulin is, how it works, and what happens when it’s out of balance.
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What is insulin
Insulin is a small and powerful hormone whose job is to unlock the door to your cells, allowing glucose, your bodies primary fuel, to enter. This sounds minor, however your survival depends on this working properly.
It is made by the beta cells in your pancreas. This organ is located behind your stomach and is about the size of an adult hand.
When you eat, your intestines break down food into various components, including glucose, also known as sugar. Glucose passes into your blood stream, causing your blood sugar to rise. In response, your pancreas releases insulin, that hold the key to unlock the door to your cells and allow glucose in.
When this system is working as it should, as glucose is released into the blood stream, insulin is released from the pancreas to usher the glucose into your cells.
Insulin is responsible for keeping your body’s glucose within an optimal range, similar to a feedback loop. It is similar to your home heating and cooling system, going on and off to keep the optimal temperature for your comfort.
How does it work
Insulin acts as the key signaling your cells to open and allow glucose in. Without insulin, glucose would loiter in your bloodstream, unable to get into your cells to provide energy, resulting in high blood sugar. High blood sugar for extended periods of time has detrimental effects to the blood vessels in your kidneys, heart, eyes and feet.
The more glucose you have in your blood, the more insulin your pancreas releases.
Your body stores any extra glucose (that your cells don’t need) in your liver, muscles and fat cells as glycogen for later use.
This is a fine-tuned system and can easily get out of whack!
Insulin is also made in the laboratory.
What are other role’s insulin plays in your body
- Fat storage. Your body stores excess calories as fat when you have high insulin levels. This is why high glucose levels are often linked to weight gain.
- Liver Control. Insulin communicates with your liver, instructing it to store excess glucose as glycogen. Your liver releases stored glycogen to maintain a steady energy supply when blood sugar levels drops.
What are the types of diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. The symptoms for type 1 and type 2 are similar but, they present in different ways.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself). This reaction destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin. The symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop quickly, typically over several weeks. This is also known as insulin deficiency.
Left untreated, insulin deficiency can lead to symptoms such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, nausea, breathing problems, and even coma. This is how type 1 diabetics end up in the Intensive Care Unit with extremely high glucose levels. Type 1 diabetics MUST supplement with insulin therapy.
Type 2 diabetics
Type 2 diabetics may not exhibit symptoms for many years because the symptoms develop slowly over time. Some people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms until complications arise.
With type 2 diabetes, your pancreas secrete (to form and release a substance) insulin to get the glucose into your cells. When you have had high blood sugar for a long time, your cells stop responding to insulin. They become resistant to insulin.
The pancreas makes more insulin in an attempt to make the cells respond. Think of it like this: Someone is knocking on your door continuously and will not stop. You will soon ignore them. You become resistant and less responsive to their knocking.
Your pancreas attempts to overcome this resistance by producing even more insulin. Eventually, your pancreas can’t keep up because your blood sugar continues to rise.
Eventually, the beta cells in your pancreas get depleted and aren’t able to sustain enough insulin production. This is when synthetic insulin is needed for type 2 diabetics.
This creates a vicious cycle of increasing insulin resistance and increasing blood sugar levels. Over time, high glucose levels can lead to problems with the nerves, kidneys, eyes, heart, and blood vessels.
Are you insulin resistant
Well, if you are heavy around your middle, that is a rule of thumb but not definitive. You will need a blood test to determine your values. You will be tested for your blood glucose level, triglycerides (a kind of fat in your blood) and high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol. Talk to your health care provider for more information.
Why Is Insulin Essential
Coming from a family of diabetics and being one as well, I have a deep appreciation for insulin, a tiny, mighty and powerful hormone.
If you have type 2 diabetes, I can’t stress enough to you to become the doctor you are looking for and watch your carbohydrate intake, remember when you eat carbs it turns to sugar in your blood stream when digested.
Walk after meals (it forces the glucose into your cells and out of your blood stream). You can discuss your medications with your health care provider. Determine to be diligent and support the mighty hormone insulin do its job for you.
Without insulin, you don’t fare well.
I hope I explained insulin well enough to help you understand its role in diabetes.
There are so many new products coming to market. Let’s continue to keep a close watch for each other on the scientific advancements in treating and improving treatments for diabetics.
