What about insulin?
If you are an insulin-dependent diabetic that means that your body does not produce enough insulin. If there is a lack of insulin blood glucose levels will increase rapidly and can result in a ketoacidosis or even in a ketoacidotic coma. By means of an appropriate insulin therapy it is possible to life your life with only some restrictions in a healthy and active way.
The Production of Insulin
Insulin was first discovered in the pancreas and explored by two Canadian scientists named Dr. Rederick G. Banting and Charles H. Best.in the year 1921. Until the Eigthies of the last century insulin was produced using pancreata from pigs and cattle. Today almost all diabetics use biosynthetic produced regular insulin which is processed from recombinant genetic technology. Microorganisms like medicinal yeast are programmed to produce insulin which is identical with human insulin.
Types of insulin
There are 2 main types of insulin: regular insulin and insulin analogues. Within both groups we distinguish between short-, middle-, long-acting and mixes insulins. They differenciate from each in terms of taking effect, when strongest effect is reached and how long the effect takes place. The reason for that is that they are slightly different in structure and therefore the resorption form fatty tissue into blood takes different time. The choice of insulin for a diabetic depends on lifestyle and needs of a patient. The decision for the insulin of choice is taken together from the physician and the well-educated patient.
Self-responsible specialist
Insulin-dependent diabetics have to know exactly about action of the used insulins. But more than that. They have to understand how action, nutrition and activity play together to maintain a certain insulin level in blood. Intensive education is necessary to enable the self-responsible specialist to manage his life nearly like a healthy individual. This is important for both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. Different actions of insulin enable people to reach a high flexibility including high level of training activity.
Adaption of insulin delivery to daily life situations
Whenever food intake or training activities differ a lot from standard daily life situations the insulin dose has to be adequately adapted. You can control your measures by testing blood glucose more often. If your blood glucose levels keep to be elevated for a longer period of time it is necessary to adapt the insulin dose following the concepts of your physician.