Diabetes Mellitus- The role of Insulin

Our instentines digest the carbohydrate in our food. The end products of carbohydrate digestion are various sugars, chiefly glucose. The glucose is absorbed through the mucous membrane of intestines to enter the blood stream. Thus the concentration of glucose in teh blood rises. Insulin makes this glucose available to each and every cell of the body. Each cell in our body is a tiny engine that uses glucose as fuel to generate heat and energy. If glucose fuel is to gain entrance into the cellular engine, insulin. If the amount of glucose in the blood is greater than cellular requirements, insulin converts it into glycogen and fat which are stored in the liver or muscles and adipose tissue respectively. Insulin is also concerned with the metabolism of dietary fats and proteins. The end-products of fat digestion are fatty acids. Insulin converts these fatty acids back into fat and stores it in the adipose tissue. Again, insulin prevents the conversion of stored fat into fatty acids. Insulin is also essential for protein synthesis in the body. If there is a deficiency of insulin, protein lost due to wear and team cant be replaced. Insulin also serves certain other functions, the exact nature of which is not yet completely understood.

Basically the most important and obvious function of insulin is to control the concentration of glucose in the blood. After taking food, the concentration of glucose in blood rises. Insulin prevents the glucose concentration to rise above normal or physiological limits. If insulin is inadequate or absent, the glucose in blood cant enter various body cells or cannt be converted into glycogen. Consequently blood glucose levels rises. When the blood passes through the kidneys, the glucose is normally not allowed to escape in the urine. Now when due to lack of insulin the concentration of glucose increases beyond a particular level, it surpasses the efficiency level of kidneys and spills into the urine. That is the reason why the urine of diabetics is sweet. Normally the nutritional requirements of body cels are satisfied by glucose. When due to efficiency of insulin or due to resistance of cells to insulin, glucose cannot enter the cells, cellular starvation ensues. To supply nutrition to the starving cells, the body starts disintegrating stored fats and proteins. It is because of the destruction of muscle protein and fats that a diabetic experiences undue weakness or fatigue and weightloss respectively. While defining diabetes, it was said that it is a condition arising due to either to 1.) defiency of insulin 2.) inability of body cells to use available insulin. The first type of diabetes is called Juvenile or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). It afflicts mostly chlidren or young adults and produces acute symptoms. The second type of diabetes is called non-insulin-dependant or maturity onset diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). It mostly afflicts middle aged persons and produces mild symptoms.

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Team- Knowledge is Healing