Insulin is the major anabolic hormone in the body. It is made by an organ near the stomach called the pancreas. Insulin helps the body use sugar from the blood for energy. It also inhibits the mobilization of other fuels (e.g. lipolysis), promotes the storage of glucose or fat and suppresses glucose synthesis by the liver.
Overall, insulin acts to reduce blood sugar glucose levels and reestablish glucose homeostatic after the ingestion of a meal.
The discovery of insulin was a miraculous event for the diabetes, for whom the disease was an effective sentence of death.
In type 2 diabetes, sugar builds up in the blood because the body cannot use it without the help of insulin. This causes blood sugar to stay high.
Sugar (glucose) is obtained from the food eaten in the process called digestion. Glucose is transported to the brain in the blood. Once it is in the brain, it must be carried into the brain’s cell, where it can be used for energy. The carrier for glucose onto the brain’s cells is a hormone called insulin.
What is insulin?
