Understanding Insulin

Filed in archive Information on January 31, 2007

Newly diagnosed diabetics, or family and friends of diabetics, may have trouble understanding exactly how the process works. Just what is this 'big thing' everyone talks about...insulin? Here's a nice article that relates important information many people could benefit from.

This is why, when our bodies can no longer manufacture insulin, we must obtain it some other way. Or die. Without insulin, we are unable to extract energy from food. Everything we do in life, thinking, talking, moving about, breathing, having our hearts beat..... all these things require energy. We get that energy from food we eat. Converting the food into energy is a complicated business. That's where insulin comes in. pills for diabetes help in other ways, but do not replace insulin.

We've all endured power outages which always remind us how much we depend on that constant supply of energy. Why, even the water stops running, because the water pump needs electricity! Without insulin, we face very dire circumstances. Glucose cannot reach the cells, so they have no source of energy. They will not be able to function for long.