Production of Insulin
What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas by the islets of Langerhans, which regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. The lack of insulin causes a form of diabetes.
Image: A patient injecting himself with insulin to correct his glucose level, or to manage his carbohydrates.
Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas by the islets of Langerhans, which regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. The lack of insulin causes a form of diabetes.
Image: A patient injecting himself with insulin to correct his glucose level, or to manage his carbohydrates.
How is insulin used?
Insulin is injected into the body by people with type 1 diabetes in whom the cells that produce insulin have been destroyed. This is the most common form of diabetes in children and young adults, and they depend on insulin for survival. Insulin may also be used by people with type 2 diabetes, where the body needs more insulin than it can produce.
How is insulin produced?
Since the landmark discovery of insulin by Frederick Banting and Charles Best in 1922, huge developments have been made towards producing insulin. First insulin was purely extracted from animals such as pigs and cattles. Today insulin is made bio synthetically, a procedure more known as Genetic Engineering.
Insulin is injected into the body by people with type 1 diabetes in whom the cells that produce insulin have been destroyed. This is the most common form of diabetes in children and young adults, ad they depend on insulin for survival. Insulin may also be used by people with type 2 diabetes, where the body needs more insulin than it can produce.The
Types of manufactured insulin
Manufactured insulin comes in several types that differ in the way in which they act inside the body. There are two different main traits of manufactured insulin. Onset which is the length of time for the insulin to reach its maximum effectiveness after being injected to the body, and duration which is the length of time that the insulin remains effective inside the body.
There are also four basic types of insulin, Rapid-acting, which should begin to work after 15 mins, reaches its peak in 30-90 minutes and has a duration of three to four hours. Short acting, which should work in 30-60 minutes, reaches its peak in two to three hours, and has a duration of three to six hours. Intermediate acting beings to work in 90 minutes to six hours, reaches its peak in four to 14 hours, and has a duration of up to 24 hours. Long acting which should begin to work in six to 14 hours and remains effective for 24 to 36 hours. Many people with diabetes use combinations of theses different types of insulin to better control and manage their condition.
Manufactured insulin comes in several types that differ in the way in which they act inside the body. There are two different main traits of manufactured insulin. Onset which is the length of time for the insulin to reach its maximum effectiveness after being injected to the body, and duration which is the length of time that the insulin remains effective inside the body.
There are also four basic types of insulin, Rapid-acting, which should begin to work after 15 mins, reaches its peak in 30-90 minutes and has a duration of three to four hours. Short acting, which should work in 30-60 minutes, reaches its peak in two to three hours, and has a duration of three to six hours. Intermediate acting beings to work in 90 minutes to six hours, reaches its peak in four to 14 hours, and has a duration of up to 24 hours. Long acting which should begin to work in six to 14 hours and remains effective for 24 to 36 hours. Many people with diabetes use combinations of theses different types of insulin to better control and manage their condition.
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