Insulin is critical to your overall health and survival. Problems with insulin production or function can result inhypoglycemia(low blood sugars),hyperglycemia(high blood sugars), anddiabetes.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
If you have any type of diabetes, learning how insulin works in the body can help clarify why taking dailyinsulin shotsor wearing aninsulin pumpor patch may be a key aspect of your treatment plan.
This article discusses the relationship between insulin, blood sugar (glucose), and diabetes. It also covers how your body makes insulin and ways your health can be affected if you have too little or too much of it in your bloodstream.
Supplemental Insulin for Diabetes
How Insulin Is Made
The exocrine function of the pancreas is to help withdigestion. The endocrine function of the pancreas is to produce insulin and another hormone called glucagon that helps regulate blood sugar. The pancreatic cells that produce glucagon are called alpha cells.
Understanding Different Types of Insulin
How Insulin Works
Insulin is the energy-storage hormone. After a meal, it helps the cells use carbs, fats, and protein as needed, and store what’s left (mainly as fat) for the future.
The body breaks these nutrients down into sugar molecules, amino acid molecules, and lipid molecules, respectively. The body also stores and reassembles these molecules into more complex forms.
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Blood sugar levels rise when most foods are consumed, but they risemore rapidly and dramatically with carbohydrates. The digestive system releases glucose from foods and the glucose molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream. The rising glucose levels signal the pancreas to secrete insulin to clear glucose from the bloodstream.
To do this, insulin binds with insulin receptors on the surface of cells, acting like a key that opens the cells to receive glucose. Insulin receptors exist on almost all tissues in the body, including muscle cells and fat cells.
Insulin receptors have two main components:
When the body is functioning normally, the glucose derived from ingested carbohydrates gets cleared rapidly through this process. However, when there’s no insulin or very low levels of insulin, this doesn’t happen, leading to high blood glucose levels.
Excess blood sugar also happens when cells aren’t able to use insulin properly—what’s known asinsulin resistance.
Insulin resistance can also occur as a result of excess body fat.
A Guide to Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes
Fat Metabolism
Insulin has a major effect on fat metabolism. After a meal, insulin causes “extra” ingested fats and glucose to be stored as fat for future use. Insulin also plays a key role inliver functionand fat cells.
Liver Function
Insulin stimulates the glycogen creation from glucose and its storage in the liver. High insulin levels cause the liver to get saturated with glycogen. When this happens, the liver becomes unable to store more.
Then, glucose is instead used to create fatty acids that are converted intolipoproteinsand released into the bloodstream. These break down into free fatty acids and are used in other tissues. Some tissues use these to createtriglycerides.
Fat Cells
Insulin stops fat from breaking down and prevents triglycerides from breaking down into fatty acids. When glucose enters these fat cells, it can be used to create a compound called glycerol.
Glycerol can be combined with excess free fatty acids from the liver to make triglycerides, which can then build up in the fat cells.
10 Causes of High Triglycerides in Diabetes
Protein Metabolism
Insulin helps the amino acids in protein to enter cells. Without adequate insulin production, this process is hindered, making it difficult to build muscle mass.
Insulin also makes cells more receptive topotassium,magnesium, andphosphate. Known collectively aselectrolytes, these minerals help conduct electricity within the body. In doing so, they influence:
RecapInsulin production is part of an endocrine process in the liver that controls blood sugar. Insulin helps the body break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins from food to be used for energy.Insulin resistance develops when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver are unable to use insulin properly, resulting in high blood sugar.
Recap
Insulin production is part of an endocrine process in the liver that controls blood sugar. Insulin helps the body break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins from food to be used for energy.Insulin resistance develops when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver are unable to use insulin properly, resulting in high blood sugar.
Insulin production is part of an endocrine process in the liver that controls blood sugar. Insulin helps the body break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins from food to be used for energy.
Insulin resistance develops when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver are unable to use insulin properly, resulting in high blood sugar.
Associated Conditions
Several conditions are related to problems with insulin use or production, including diabetes, hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia.
Diabetes
Diabetes comes in three forms, each with a different cause of high blood sugars.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemiais low blood sugar. People with diabetes are especially susceptible, but it can happen in those without diabetes as well. Hypoglycemia is a potentially dangerous condition with symptoms including:
More serious symptoms of hypoglycemia are:
Hypoglycemia is commonly a side effect ofdiabetes medications, especially those classified assulfonylureasandmeglitinides. The risk of hypoglycemia while taking these medications increases if you:
Checking your blood sugar levels frequently and sticking to your diet and exercise regimen can help you avoid diabetes-related hypoglycemia.
Other causes of hypoglycemia include:
Recognizing and Treating Hypoglycemia
Hyperglycemia
Symptoms of hyperglycemiainclude:
In someone with type 1 diabetes, hyperglycemia can lead to a potentially fatal condition calledketoacidosis, in which toxic acids build up in the blood. Symptoms of ketoacidosis include:
Untreated, ongoing hyperglycemia can lead to a lot of problems, including:
RecapDiabetes, hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia are conditions related to how much insulin your body produces and how well your body uses it to control blood sugar.Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are common in diabetes, but people who do not have diabetes can develop either due to underlying conditions that affect insulin.
Diabetes, hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia are conditions related to how much insulin your body produces and how well your body uses it to control blood sugar.Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are common in diabetes, but people who do not have diabetes can develop either due to underlying conditions that affect insulin.
Diabetes, hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia are conditions related to how much insulin your body produces and how well your body uses it to control blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are common in diabetes, but people who do not have diabetes can develop either due to underlying conditions that affect insulin.
Summary
The pancreas has two key roles: helping with digestion and producing the hormone insulin.
Your body needs insulin to keep blood sugar from getting too high or too low. It also enables cells in your liver, muscles, and fat to take up sugars from foods you eat and use them for energy.
If your body doesn’t make the right amount of insulin or doesn’t use insulin efficiently, you can develop health problems like diabetes, hyperglycemia, or hypoglycemia. Left untreated, these conditions can be very dangerous.
A Word From Verywell
There is no cure for insulin resistance in type 1 diabetes, but it can be managed with supplemental insulin.
For others, there are ways to help prevent problems with insulin that could lead to type 2 diabetes, like following a balanced, nutrient-rich diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and quitting cigarettes if you smoke.
Take your healthcare provider’s advice to heart and never underestimate the impact that lifestyle changes can have.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yaribeygi H, Farrokhi FR, Butler AE, Sahebkar A.Insulin resistance: Review of the underlying molecular mechanisms.J Cell Physiol. 2019 Oct;234(6):8152-8161. doi:10.1002/jcp.27603Grayson BE, Woods SC.Chapter 151: Insulin. In:Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides (Second Edition).Elsevier.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Ritchie RH, Zerenturk EJ, Prakoso D, Calkin AC.Lipid metabolism and its implications for type 1 diabetes-associated cardiomyopathy.J Mol Endocrinol. 2017 May;58(4):225-240. doi:10.1530/JME-16-0249Volpi E, Dickinson JM.Protein metabolism in health and diabetes. InInternational Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus(eds R.A. DeFronzo, E. Ferrannini, P. Zimmet and K.G.M.M. Alberti). Wiley and Sons; 2015. doi:10.1002/9781118387658.ch16Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gestational diabetes.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).Endocrine Society.Non-diabetic hypoglycemia.Lebovitz H.Hyperglycemia secondary to nondiabetic conditions and therapies. In:Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric. 2015 Apr;7(1):737-751. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-18907-1.00042-1Cleveland Clinic.Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yaribeygi H, Farrokhi FR, Butler AE, Sahebkar A.Insulin resistance: Review of the underlying molecular mechanisms.J Cell Physiol. 2019 Oct;234(6):8152-8161. doi:10.1002/jcp.27603Grayson BE, Woods SC.Chapter 151: Insulin. In:Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides (Second Edition).Elsevier.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Ritchie RH, Zerenturk EJ, Prakoso D, Calkin AC.Lipid metabolism and its implications for type 1 diabetes-associated cardiomyopathy.J Mol Endocrinol. 2017 May;58(4):225-240. doi:10.1530/JME-16-0249Volpi E, Dickinson JM.Protein metabolism in health and diabetes. InInternational Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus(eds R.A. DeFronzo, E. Ferrannini, P. Zimmet and K.G.M.M. Alberti). Wiley and Sons; 2015. doi:10.1002/9781118387658.ch16Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gestational diabetes.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).Endocrine Society.Non-diabetic hypoglycemia.Lebovitz H.Hyperglycemia secondary to nondiabetic conditions and therapies. In:Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric. 2015 Apr;7(1):737-751. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-18907-1.00042-1Cleveland Clinic.Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Yaribeygi H, Farrokhi FR, Butler AE, Sahebkar A.Insulin resistance: Review of the underlying molecular mechanisms.J Cell Physiol. 2019 Oct;234(6):8152-8161. doi:10.1002/jcp.27603Grayson BE, Woods SC.Chapter 151: Insulin. In:Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides (Second Edition).Elsevier.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Ritchie RH, Zerenturk EJ, Prakoso D, Calkin AC.Lipid metabolism and its implications for type 1 diabetes-associated cardiomyopathy.J Mol Endocrinol. 2017 May;58(4):225-240. doi:10.1530/JME-16-0249Volpi E, Dickinson JM.Protein metabolism in health and diabetes. InInternational Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus(eds R.A. DeFronzo, E. Ferrannini, P. Zimmet and K.G.M.M. Alberti). Wiley and Sons; 2015. doi:10.1002/9781118387658.ch16Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gestational diabetes.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).Endocrine Society.Non-diabetic hypoglycemia.Lebovitz H.Hyperglycemia secondary to nondiabetic conditions and therapies. In:Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric. 2015 Apr;7(1):737-751. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-18907-1.00042-1Cleveland Clinic.Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
Yaribeygi H, Farrokhi FR, Butler AE, Sahebkar A.Insulin resistance: Review of the underlying molecular mechanisms.J Cell Physiol. 2019 Oct;234(6):8152-8161. doi:10.1002/jcp.27603
Grayson BE, Woods SC.Chapter 151: Insulin. In:Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides (Second Edition).Elsevier.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Ritchie RH, Zerenturk EJ, Prakoso D, Calkin AC.Lipid metabolism and its implications for type 1 diabetes-associated cardiomyopathy.J Mol Endocrinol. 2017 May;58(4):225-240. doi:10.1530/JME-16-0249
Volpi E, Dickinson JM.Protein metabolism in health and diabetes. InInternational Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus(eds R.A. DeFronzo, E. Ferrannini, P. Zimmet and K.G.M.M. Alberti). Wiley and Sons; 2015. doi:10.1002/9781118387658.ch16
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gestational diabetes.
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).
Endocrine Society.Non-diabetic hypoglycemia.
Lebovitz H.Hyperglycemia secondary to nondiabetic conditions and therapies. In:Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric. 2015 Apr;7(1):737-751. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-18907-1.00042-1
Cleveland Clinic.Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
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