When you are first diagnosed with diabetes you will hear your healthcare team using
medical terminology that you may not have heard before or find difficult to understand.
One of the words that is often mentioned is "insulin". Lots of people know that
diabetes has something to do with insulin, but most of them probably couldn't explain
what insulin is or its link with diabetes.
In basic terms, insulin is made in the pancreas to help control your blood glucose
levels.
When you eat, your body breaks down the sugar and starches in your food and turns
them into blood glucose. It then uses the glucose as fuel for its cells. Insulin
is a type of hormone. Hormones are chemical messengers that act like keys, "opening
the doors" to your body's different functions. Insulin is the key to unlock the
doors that glucose travels through to get into your body's cells.
The pancreas is a gland behind your stomach. The pancreas has cells that contain
an "inbuilt blood glucose meter". In people who don't have diabetes, this meter
knows the right amount of insulin the body needs to help the glucose's journey into
the cells. It registers when the level of glucose in the blood goes up and responds
by sending the correct amount of insulin into the blood stream that is needed to
help transport the glucose into the cells.
Some people with Type 2 diabetes don't create enough insulin, while in others the
cells in their body "ignore" the insulin and do not use it properly. This is called
"insulin resistance". If your insulin production is low or you have insulin
resistance, your cells will not be getting enough fuel and the glucose is left behind
in your blood to build up. This is why people with Type 2 diabetes have a high blood
glucose level. If the high blood glucose level is not controlled or left untreated,
it can cause serious long-term health complications.
In the early stages of diabetes, the best way to improve your blood glucose levels
is through changes to your diet and the amount you exercise. However, Type 2 diabetes
is a progressive condition, so you may have to start taking tablets to control your
blood glucose level and eventually have insulin therapy. This involves replacing your body's
natural insulin with insulin injections.
Learning how your body works is the first step towards managing your diabetes. Speak
to your diabetes healthcare team if you want to know more about how insulin works
in your body and the role it plays in your diabetes.