INSULIN & ITS FUNCTION

Insulin

The digestive system converts the carbohydrates in your food into glucose. Insulin is a hormone produced by an organ called your pancreas. It absorbs glucose and controls carbohydrates and fat metabolism. In type 1 diabetes, the body stops making insulin, while in type 2 diabetes the body either stops producing the right amount of insulin or stops using it correctly.

Types of Insulin

Rapid-acting insulin - This type of insulin starts functioning about 15 minutes after injecting into the human body. The effect of this type of insulin can last for three to four hours. It is often used before meals.

Short-acting insulin - This type of insulin needs to be injected into the body before a meal. It starts working 30 to 60 minutes after its injection into the body and remains effective for five to eight hours.

Intermediate-acting insulin - This type of insulin injection starts working one to two hours after entering the body, and its effect can last for 14 to 16 hours.

Long-acting insulin - It can start working more than about two hours after injecting insulin. The effect of this type of insulin can last for 24 hours or longer.

Function Of Insulin

Insulin performs the following functions in the body,

• When the human digestive system converts carbohydrates in the diet into glucose, the glucose produced is absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining in the small intestine. So insulin is necessary for cells to absorb glucose or blood sugar and to produce energy from glucose.
• Insulin causes liver cells, muscles, and adipose tissue to take glucose from the blood and convert it into glycogen, glycogen is stored as a source of energy in the liver and muscles.
• Insulin prevents the body from using fat as an energy source. In the absence or absence of insulin, glucose is not absorbed by the body's cells, so in this case the body starts using fat as an energy source, which can be harmful to health. Hence insulin prevents the fat from being used as a source of energy.
• It also functions to control other body systems. It regulates amino acids by the body's cells.
• Insulin prevents blood sugar levels from being too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia).
• It also shows many anabolic effects throughout the body, insulin causes bone growth and muscle growth.

How is Insulin made

The insulin is naturally produced in the pancreas. Insulin is a type of protein chain or peptide hormone. A molecule of insulin contains 51 amino acids. The molecular weight of insulin is 5808 dalton (1dalton = 1 g / mol). Insulin is produced in the islets of Langerhans cells in the pancreas. These cells continuously release small amounts of insulin, but when the blood sugar level increases, the amount of insulin that the pancreas secretes also increases. The structure of the insulin varies slightly between animal species. Insulin from both pigs and cows are similar to human insulin. In the past, insulin was extracted from cows and pigs.

Discovery of Insulin

Tests were conducted on dogs in the late 19th century and it was found that there is a substance deficiency in the bile of diabetes patients. There was also an attempt to cure bile by removing it. But when removing the pancreas, the digestive juices would destroy all the elements.

        In the 1920s two Canadian doctors Frederick G Banting and Charles Best made a revolutionary discovery. He discovered insulin. The element that carries the sugar from food to our cells through blood. The cells absorb sugar with the help of insulin. The burning of sugar in the body provides the necessary energy for life. If there is a lack of insulin, the cells go hungry despite adequate food and the body parts start to get damaged.