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Insulin is absolutely required for all animal (including human) life. The mechanism is almost identical in nematode worms, fish, and mammals. In humans, insulin deprivation due to the removal or destruction of the pancreas leads to death in days or at most weeks. Insulin must be administered to patients in whom there is a lack of the hormone for this, or any other, reason.
Source
Harvesting pancreases from human corpses is not practical on a large scale, so insulin from cows, pigs or fish pancreases is used instead. All have 'insulin activity' in humans as they are nearly identical to human insulin. Insulin is a protein which has been very strongly conserved across evolutionary time. Differences in suitability of beef, pork, or fish insulin preparations for particular patients have been primarily the result of preparation purity and of allergic reactions to assorted non-insulin substances remaining in those preparations.
Human insulin can now be manufactured, using genetic engineering molecular biology techniques, in sufficient quantity for widespread clinical use, much reducing impurity reaction problems. Eli Lilly marketed the first such synthetic insulin, Humulin, in 1982. Genentech developed the technique Lilly used.
Function; Reasons For Use
The main job of insulin is to keep the amount of sugar in the bloodstream within a normal range. After eating a snack or a meal, sugar and other nutrients enter the bloodstream as the body digests food. Carbohydrates, protein and fats are three types of nutrients found in food. Although all three affect the amount of sugar in the bloodstream, carbohydrates affect it the most: During digestion, carbohydrates break down into sugar and enter the bloodstream in the form of glucose, a simple sugar.
The pancreas responds to this rise in blood-sugar levels by producing insulin, which must be present in the bloodstream to allow sugar (the body's main energy supply) into the body's tissues.
Insulin also influences the liver, which plays a key role in maintaining normal blood-sugar levels. After eating, when insulin levels are high, the liver accepts and stores extra sugar in the form of glycogen. Between meals, when insulin levels are low, the liver releases glycogen into the bloodstream in the form of sugar, keeping blood sugar levels within a narrow and normal range.
When someone has diabetes, either because their pancreas secretes little or no insulin (type 1 diabetes), or their body has become resistant to insulin's action (type 2 diabetes), the level of sugar in the bloodstream builds up, which leads to diabetes complications if not treated.
Insulin therapy has two main goals:- Keeping blood sugar levels within the target range;
- Preventing long-term complications of diabetes, such as blindness, nerve damage or kidney damage.
Directions
Unlike many medicines, insulin cannot be taken orally. It is treated in the gastrointestinal tract precisely as any other protein; that is, reduced to its amino acid components, whereupon all 'insulin activity' is lost. There are research efforts underway to develop methods of protecting insulin from the digestive tract so that it can be taken orally, but none has yet reached clinical use. Instead insulin is usually taken as subcutaneous injections by single-use syringes with needles, or by repeated-use insulin pens with needles.
There have been several attempts to improve upon this mode of administering insulin as many people find injection awkward and painful. One alternative is jet injection (also sometimes used for some vaccinations) which has different insulin delivery peaks and durations as compared to needle injection of the same amount and type of insulin.
An insulin pump is a reasonable solution for some. However there are several major limitations - cost, the potential for hypoglycemic episodes, catheter problems and, at the time of writing, no approvable means of controlling insulin delivery in the field based on blood glucose levels. If too much insulin is delivered or the patient eats less than normal, there will be hypoglycemia. On the other hand, if too little insulin is delivered by the pump, there will be hyperglycemia. Both of these can lead to potentially life-threatening conditions. In addition, indwelling catheters pose the risk of infection and ulceration.
Tips on Taking Insulin:- Take your insulin at the same times each day (relative to meals).
- Balance your food and exercise with your insulin.
- Too much activity or too little food can make your blood glucose drop low.
- Too much food can make your blood glucose go high.
- Rotate the area you give your shots, using a regular plan of moving from one site to another. For example, use all the sites in both arms before moving to your leg. This will keep your blood glucose more even from day-to-day.
- If you take more than 1 shot each day, use a different area for each shot.
- Do not change your insulin or insulin routine before talking to your doctor or diabetes educator.
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Insulin Therapy can help with the following: | | | | | Autoimmune |  Diabetes Type I | If you have type 1 diabetes, and in some cases if you have type 2 diabetes, you need insulin injections to manage your blood sugar (glucose). |
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Organ Health |
Diabetes Type 1.5| | On average, insulin is required in half of those with Type 1.5 diabetes within four years of diagnosis, compared to over ten years in those with true Type 2. |
Diabetes Type II| | On average, insulin is required in half of those with Type 1.5 diabetes within four years of diagnosis, compared to over ten years in those with true Type 2 diabetes. |
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KEY | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Amino Acid (Amino Acids)
An organic acid containing nitrogen chemical building blocks that aid in the production of protein in the body. Eight of the twenty-two known amino acids are considered "essential," and must be obtained from dietary sources because the body can not synthesize them.
Carbohydrates (Carbohydrate)
The sugars and starches in food. Sugars are called simple carbohydrates and found in such foods as fruit and table sugar. Complex carbohydrates are composed of large numbers of sugar molecules joined together, and are found in grains, legumes, and vegetables like potatoes, squash, and corn.
Diabetes Mellitus (Diabetes, Diabetic, Diabetics)
A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
Gastrointestinal (GI, GI Tract)
Pertaining to the stomach, small and large intestines, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder.
Glucose
A sugar that is the simplest form of carbohydrate. It is commonly referred to as blood sugar. The body breaks down carbohydrates in foods into glucose, which serves as the primary fuel for the muscles and the brain.
Glycogen
A compound produced by the liver from glucose and stored in the liver and muscles. It acts as an energy source for muscles, and releases glucose from the liver to maintain blood sugar.
Hormones (Hormone)
Chemical substances secreted by a variety of body organs that are carried by the bloodstream and usually influence cells some distance from the source of production. Hormones signal certain enzymes to perform their functions and, in this way, regulate such body functions as blood sugar levels, insulin levels, the menstrual cycle, and growth. These can be prescription, over-the-counter, synthetic or natural agents. Examples include adrenal hormones such as corticosteroids and aldosterone; glucagon, growth hormone, insulin, testosterone, estrogens, progestins, progesterone, DHEA, melatonin, and thyroid hormones such as thyroxine and calcitonin.
Hyperglycemia (Hyperglycemic)
Elevations of blood glucose, either from the various types of diabetes, excessive sugar intake (short term) or from adrenalin or stimulant causes.
Hypoglycemia
A condition characterized by an abnormally low blood glucose level. Severe hypoglycemia is rare and dangerous. It can be caused by medications such as insulin (diabetics are prone to hypoglycemia), severe physical exhaustion, and some illnesses.
Insulin
A hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to elevated blood glucose levels. Insulin stimulates the liver, muscles, and fat cells to remove glucose from the blood for use or storage.
Kidneys (Kidney, Renal)
Bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. The kidneys are sophisticated reprocessing machines, each day handling about 50 gallons of blood to sift out about half a gallon of waste products and extra water. The waste and extra water become urine, which flows to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The actual filtering occurs in tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons. Every kidney has about a million nephrons. In a nephron, a glomerulus -- which is a tiny blood vessel, or capillary -- intertwines with a tiny urine-collecting tube called a tubule. A complicated chemical exchange takes place, as waste materials and water leave your blood and enter your urinary system. The kidneys recycle chemicals such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium and thus regulate their levels. Renal: Pertaining to the kidneys.
Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.
Pancreas (Pancreatic)
Opposite the liver and behind the stomach, the pancreas has two main functions - to manufacture various enzymes for digestion, and to release hormones to help control the body's use of carbohydrates. It releases insulin to help each cell absorb glucose to burn as energy. In this way, insulin controls the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Proper pancreatic function is very important: too much, too little, or no insulin production can be life-threatening. Some of the chemicals released by the pancreas are not hormones, but stimulate other glands to make hormones. Once again, balance is necessary. Nutritional requirements for the pancreas are many. Research indicates that chromium vitamins C, E, B-complex, calcium, magnesium and potassium are especially important.
Protein (Proteins)
Compounds composed of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen present in the body and in foods that form complex combinations of amino acids. Protein is essential for life and is used for growth and repair. Foods that supply the body with protein include animal products, grains, legumes, and vegetables. Proteins from animal sources contain the essential amino acids. Proteins are changed to amino acids in the body.
Subcutaneous (Subdermal)
Below the surface of the skin. Subdermal: Below the surface of the skin, and below subcutaneous, but definitely higher up than the muscles.
Ulcer (Ulceration, Ulcers)
Lesion on the skin or mucous membrane.
Last updated: Apr 13, 2008
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