Where is insulin produced? Insulin is a peptide hormone that the pancreas produces. It helps metabolize food for the body’s use of energy. This hormone aids in balancing blood glucose levels, preventing the occurrence of diabetes mellitus. Insulin plays a significant role in preventing the onset of diabetes-related complications.
What makes insulin important for someone’s overall health? When the body cannot produce or use enough insulin, blood sugar conditions like hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and diabetes can develop. These conditions have several things in common, including the symptoms. These are:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Change in weight
- High blood pressure
- Darkening skin
- Dizziness or drowsiness
If naturally produced insulin is not enough for the body, then we go for externally administered insulin shots to better manage the mentioned metabolic disorders. This kind of treatment helps stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes attacks in the future.
Where is insulin produced?
As mentioned above, it is the pancreas that produces the hormone insulin. The pancreas is a gland in the abdomen and part of the digestive and endocrine systems.
The pancreas is six inches long and shaped like a flat pear. It is surrounded by the stomach, liver, spleen, gallbladder, and small intestine.
As part of the endocrine system, this organ functions by regulating blood sugar levels. It secretes hormones like insulin, pancreatic polypeptide, somatostatin, and glucagon. The cells located within the pancreas aid in maintaining blood glucose levels, including alpha cells and beta cells.
When blood sugar levels drop, the alpha cells release glucagon to increase blood glucose levels. On the other hand, beta cells secrete insulin when blood sugar levels are too high. These are the processes the pancreas encompasses in stabilizing the amount of glucose the body takes daily.
How did insulin become the main form of treatment for diabetes?
Thanks to the advancement in medical technology, treating diabetes today is easier compared to before. Before the discovery of insulin for diabetes treatment, the medical measures provided to diabetes patients only involved following rigorous diets. This measure, however, has given a few extra years to live. The involvement of these strict diets even made patients die because of starvation.
In 1921, a breakthrough in the medical field allowed diabetes patients to live longer and generally despite their condition. This breakthrough involves the discovery of insulin treatment and how it can help millions of people today manage their blood sugar levels properly.
The emergence of insulin shots or injections did wonders in treating one of the world’s greatest medical problems. However, this does not stop there. Aside from taking daily insulin medications, having a healthy lifestyle is still key to having a healthy life.
Doctor’s Recommendation
Understanding the anatomical location of pancreatic beta islet cells is crucial for patients undergoing abdominal surgeries near the pancreas. This knowledge is important as an iatrogenic cause of diabetes is possible in such cases. It is also highly relevant in the context of pancreatic cancer. For patients with resectable pancreatic cancer, the surgeon will likely recommend lifelong hormone replacement therapy, including insulin and pancreatic peptides necessary for nutrient absorption. This comprehensive approach ensures optimal management and quality of life post-surgery.
