Insulin Information

Insulin is a hormone. Like many hormones, insulin is a protein and is secreted by groups of cells within the pancreas called islet cells. Insulin was the first hormone identified (late 1920's) which won the doctor and medical student who discovered it the Nobel Prize.

Insulin is needed by every human. When glucose enters our blood, the pancreas should automatically produce the proper amount of insulin to move the glucose into our cells. In type 1 Diabetes the body does not produce enough insulin for this process to happen. In type 2 diabetes, the body does not effectively utilize the insulin that is naturally there (insulin resistance).

The first successful in The first successful insulin preparations came from cows (and later pigs). Bovine and porcine insulin worked very well and still do to this day for the vast majority of patients, but some could develop an allergy or other types of reactions to the foreign protein.