Insulin: what is it and what types of it exist?

Each of us has heard of such an unpleasant disease as diabetes, as well as insulin, which the patient is administered as a substitute therapy. The thing is that insulin patients either do not develop insulin at all or do not fulfill their functions. In this article we will consider the question of what insulin is, what it is and what effect it has on our body. You will find a fascinating journey into the world of medicine.

Insulin is ...

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. Specific endocrine cells, called the islets of Langerhans (beta cells), produce it. There are about a million islets on the adult pancreas, whose functions include the production of insulin.

Insulin - what is it from the point of view of medicine? It is a protein hormone that performs extremely important functions in the body. In the gastrointestinal tract from the outside, he can not act, since he will be digested, like any other substance of protein nature. Daily pancreas produces a small amount of background (basal) insulin. After eating, the body supplies it in the amount that is required by our body for digesting the incoming proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Let us dwell on the question of what the effect of insulin on the body.

Functions of insulin

Insulin is responsible for maintaining and regulating carbohydrate metabolism. That is, this hormone has a complex multi-faceted effect on all tissues of the body, largely due to its activating effect on many enzymes.

One of the main and most famous functions of this hormone is the regulation of blood glucose. It is required by the body constantly, because it refers to the nutrients that are needed for the growth and development of cells. Insulin cleaves it to a simpler substance, contributing to its absorption into the blood. If the pancreas produces it in insufficient quantities, glucose does not feed the cells, but accumulates in the blood. This is fraught with an increase in the level of sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia), which entails serious consequences.

Also with the help of insulin, transportation of amino acids and potassium is carried out.
Few people know the anabolic properties of insulin, even surpassing the effect of steroids (the latter, however, are more selective).

Types of insulin

There are types of insulin by origin and by action.

The fast-acting has an ultrashort effect on the body. This type of insulin begins its work immediately after taking, and its peak is reached through 1-1,5. The duration of the action is 3-4 hours. Enter it immediately before or before meals. Drugs with this effect include Novo-Rapid, Insulin Apidra and Insulin Humalog.

Short insulin has an effect after 20-30 minutes after application. After 2-3 hours the concentration of the drug in the blood reaches the maximum point. In total, it takes about 5-6 hours. Introduce the injection 15-20 minutes before eating. In this case, approximately 2-3 hours after the introduction of insulin, it is recommended to do "snacks". The time of food intake should coincide with the time of the maximum effect of the drug. Short-acting medications are "Humulin Regul", "Insulin Actrapid", "Monodar Humodar".

Insulin of medium duration of action affects the body much longer - from 12 to 16 hours. It is necessary to do 2-3 injections per day, often with an interval of 8-12 hours, since they do not begin their action immediately, but 2-3 hours after the injection. Their maximum effect is achieved in 6-8 hours. Insulin of medium duration - preparations "Protafan" (human insulin), "Humudar BR", "Insulin Novomix".

And, finally, long-acting insulin, the maximum concentration of which is achieved 2-3 days after the administration, despite the fact that it begins to act in 4-6 hours. Apply it 1-2 times a day. These are such drugs as Insulin Lantus, Monodar Long, Ultralente. This group can also include the so-called "peak-free" insulin. What it is? This insulin, which does not have a pronounced effect, acts gently and unobtrusively, so it practically replaces the "native" person, produced by the pancreas.

Types of insulin

Human insulin is an analogue of the hormone produced by our pancreas. Such insulin and its genetically engineered "brothers" are considered more advanced than other types of insulin of animal origin.

Pork hormone is similar to the above, with the exception of one amino acid in the composition. It is able to cause allergic reactions.

Insulin cattle is the least similar to the human. Often causes allergies, because it contains a protein that is foreign to our body. The level of insulin in the blood of a healthy person has strict limitations. Let us consider them in more detail.

What should be the level of insulin in the blood?

On average, in a healthy person the normal index of insulin in the blood on an empty stomach varies from 2 to 28 μED / mol. In children, it is somewhat lower - from 3 to 20 units, and in pregnant women, on the contrary, higher - the rate is from 6 to 27 mC / mole. In case of causeless deviation of insulin from the norm (the level of insulin in the blood is increased or decreased ), it is recommended to pay attention to your diet and lifestyle.

Increasing the level of the hormone in the blood

Increased insulin entails the loss of almost all of its positive qualities, which adversely affects the health status. It increases blood pressure, promotes obesity (due to improperly transported glucose), has a carcinogenic effect and increases the risk of diabetes. If you have high insulin, you should pay attention to your diet, trying to consume as many products with a low hypoglycemic index (low-fat dairy products, vegetables, sweet and sour fruit, bread with bran).

Low blood insulin

There are cases and when insulin is lowered in the blood. What is it and how to treat it? Excessively low amounts of sugar in the blood lead to disruption of the brain. In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to products that stimulate the pancreas - kefir, fresh blueberries, lean meat, apples, cabbage and parsley roots (the broth is especially effective when taken on an empty stomach).

Thanks to proper nutrition, you can normalize the level of insulin and avoid complications, in particular, diabetes mellitus.

Insulin and diabetes mellitus

There are two types of diabetes - 1 and 2. The first relates to congenital diseases and is characterized by the gradual destruction of beta cells of the pancreas. If they are less than 20%, the body stops coping, and substitution therapy becomes necessary. But when the islands are more than 20%, you may not even notice any changes in your health. Often, short and ultra short insulin are used in the treatment, as well as background (prolonged).

The second type of diabetes is acquired. Beta cells with this diagnosis work "on conscience," but the effect of insulin is disrupted - it can no longer perform its functions, resulting in sugar accumulating in the blood and can cause serious complications, up to the hypoklikemicheskoy coma. For its treatment, drugs are used that help restore the lost function of the hormone.

Patients with type 1 diabetes are urgently required to inject insulin, but diabetics of the second type often take drugs for a long time (for years and even decades). However, in due course all the same it is necessary to "sit down" on insulin.

Treatment with insulin helps to get rid of complications that develop when you ignore the body's need to get it from the outside, and also helps reduce the burden on the pancreas and even contribute to the partial restoration of its beta cells.

It is believed that by starting therapy with insulin, it is no longer possible to return to drugs (tablets). However, you will agree, it is better to start earlier to introduce insulin, if it is necessary, than to refuse it - in this case serious complications can not be avoided. Doctors say that there is a chance in the future to give up injections for type 2 diabetes if the insulin treatment was started on time. Therefore, carefully watch your health, do not forget to stick to diets - they are an integral factor of well-being. Remember that diabetes is not a sentence, but a way of life.

New research

Scientists continue to aggressively seek a way to ease the life of people with diabetes. In 2015, the United States introduced a new development - a device for inhalation of insulin, which will replace syringes, making the life of diabetics easier. This device can already be purchased at pharmacies in America by prescription.

In the same year (and again in the US), the so-called "smart insulin" was injected, which is introduced into the body once a day, activating itself if necessary. Despite the fact that it has so far been tested only on animals and has not yet been tested in humans, it is obvious that scientists made very important discoveries in early 2015. Let's hope that in the future they will please diabetics with their discoveries.