Both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Suffer From Insulin Malfunctions
Every body needs insulin, an essential hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar by converting glucose into energy. Diabetics whose bodies can no longer efficiently use insulin have a higher risk of blindness, coma, or death because their cells no longer receive enough energy to survive.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics suffer from insulin malfunctions, so it’s very important to understand how synthetic insulin can help manage glucose levels and control diabetes.
Insulin and Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetics no longer produce insulin (or produce very little) because the corresponding pancreatic cells have, for a currently unknown reason, been destroyed. Their bodies contain excess blood sugar, which leads to the health problems listed above as well as nerve and kidney damage.
Synthetic insulin injections or insulin pumps will deliver enough insulin to the blood to convert the excess blood sugar into energy the body can use. This is why diabetics often measure their blood glucose levels – to monitor their insulin intake. Doctors often prescribe a variety of synthetic insulins to best treat individual glucose levels.
Insulin and Type 2 Diabetes
The cells of people with type 2 diabetes still produce insulin but can no longer respond to it. Many type 2 diabetics are overweight, and fat cells are generally more resistant to insulin.
With proper nutrition and exercise, type 2 diabetics can often increase their cells’ ability to respond to insulin and reverse the course of their condition. In the meantime, many doctors prescribe insulin to type 2 diabetics as well so that the cells will respond to the synthetic insulin and convert glucose into usable energy.
Source: The Mayo Clinic
Photo: Pixabay
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