All about Insulin: Is it just for diabetes? Let's find out for sure!

You may be a person with diabetes, or you may have a family member or friend with diabetes. You may have seen such people using insulin injections. Some people think that insulin is just a medicine for diabetes. But in fact, insulin is something that is produced inside our bodies and is indispensable for us. So today, let's find out exactly what insulin is, what it does to the body, and what its relationship is with diabetes.

What exactly is insulin?

Simply put, insulin is a hormone that is naturally produced in our body. It is made by an organ called our pancreas. To be precise, it is produced by a special type of cell called 'beta cells' in the pancreas. This hormone is essential for our lives. Because it is this insulin that helps the cells convert the sugar, or glucose, that we get from the food we eat into energy.

Think about it this way. Our bodies get glucose (sugar) from the carbohydrate-rich foods we eat, such as rice, bread, and potatoes. This glucose is the main source of energy for our body's cells to work. It's like gasoline for a car. Once this glucose is in the blood, it needs to go into the cells to make energy. But the doors to the cells are closed. Insulin is the key that opens those doors.

When insulin is added to the blood, it goes and sends a signal to the cells, saying, "Open the door now, glucose is coming in." Then the glucose goes into the cells and produces energy.

So imagine, what happens if your pancreas doesn't make enough insulin, or if your cells don't respond properly to the insulin it makes (we call this insulin resistance)? The glucose in the blood can't get into the cells. Then the blood sugar level gets very high. We call this condition hyperglycemia , or simply "high sugar." If this condition continues, diabetes develops.

Does insulin lower or increase blood sugar levels?

This is a problem that many people have. Insulin is used to lower blood sugar levels. That is, it takes the glucose floating in the blood and puts it into the cells, which is like cleaning the blood.

Our bodies have a wonderful system that controls this. While insulin lowers blood sugar, there is another hormone called glucagon that increases blood sugar levels when needed. These two work like two sides of a scale, keeping our blood sugar levels within a certain range.

However, when a person with diabetes takes insulin from outside as an injection, sometimes the amount taken can be more than the required amount. If that happens, the blood sugar level will drop too low. We call this hypoglycemia . This is also a dangerous situation. In such a case, you need to eat something sugary (a piece of candy, a spoonful of sugar) quickly to restore the sugar level. If the sugar drops too low, it is an emergency. There are also glucagon injections that can be given at such times. You can talk to your doctor and learn more about it.

What are the diseases associated with insulin?

Various medical conditions can occur due to either insufficient insulin in the body, or the body's inability to use insulin properly, or an excess of insulin.

Conditions caused by a lack of insulin or reduced insulin action

This category mainly includes various types of diabetes.

• Type 1 Diabetes: This is an autoimmune condition. Simply put, our own immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Over time, the body becomes unable to produce insulin. These people must take insulin from outside sources to survive.

• Type 3c Diabetes: This occurs when insulin production is impaired due to damage to the pancreas. For example, long-term inflammation of the pancreas (Chronic Pancreatitis), cystic fibrosis (Cystic Fibrosis), or surgical removal of the pancreas (Pancreatectomy) can cause this condition.

• Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA): This is similar to type 1, but symptoms appear much later. It usually occurs in people over 30 years of age.

Conditions caused by insulin resistance

What happens in this is that the body produces insulin, but the cells in the body (especially muscle, fat, and liver cells) don't respond to that insulin properly. It's like trying to open a door with a rusty key.

• Prediabetes: This is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. The main cause of this is insulin resistance. Lifestyle changes can help prevent the development of diabetes.

• Type 2 Diabetes: This is the most common type of diabetes in the world. Insulin resistance increases to the point where the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin, resulting in high blood sugar levels.

• Gestational Diabetes: This condition develops in some women during pregnancy. It is believed to be caused by hormones released by the placenta, which cause insulin resistance. This condition usually goes away after the baby is born.

Excessive insulin production

This is a rare condition. Insulinoma is a tumor that develops in the pancreas. This causes the pancreas to produce large amounts of insulin when it is not needed. This causes dangerously low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). However, these tumors can be completely cured by surgical removal.

What types of insulin are given for diabetes?

There are many types of insulin used to treat diabetes. They are classified according to how quickly they take to work and how long they last in the body. If you have diabetes, your doctor will determine the type and dose that is best for you.

Here are the main types.

Some of these come pre-mixed (pre-mixed) insulin. All of this is prepared by your doctor according to your body's needs.

Are there any side effects of insulin injections?

Like any medication, insulin can have some side effects, but these can often be managed.

• Low blood sugar (Hypoglycemia): This is the most common complication. This happens if you take more insulin than your body needs. It can cause sweating, shaking, extreme hunger, rapid heartbeat, and even loss of consciousness.
• Skin changes at the injection site: If you keep injecting insulin in the same place, fat can build up under the skin and form lumps. Or the fat can melt and form dimples in the skin. This is called localized lipodystrophy . This is why it is important to rotate injection sites.
• Allergic reaction: This is very rare. Some people can be allergic to some types of insulin. Symptoms may include redness, itching, and swelling at the injection site.

What are the best places to inject insulin?

Generally, the most suitable areas for injecting insulin are areas where there is fatty tissue.

• Abdominal area (about 2 inches from the navel)
• Front or sides of the thighs
• Back of the upper arm
• The upper part of the buttocks

The most important thing is to change places without continuing to massage the same area. If you massaged the left side of your stomach this morning, massage the right side at night. Switch to your thighs tomorrow. Doing so can go a long way toward preventing the skin problems mentioned earlier.

How long can you go without insulin?

This is a very serious problem. An insulin-dependent diabetic (especially one with type 1 diabetes) cannot live without insulin.

Without insulin, blood sugar levels rise uncontrollably. Unable to use glucose for energy, the body's cells start burning fat for energy. This process produces a byproduct called "ketones." These ketones accumulate in the blood, making it acidic. This is called Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) .

Therefore, if you are an insulin user, be very careful to replenish your insulin supply before it runs out.

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