Inside the pancreas, beta cells make the hormone insulin. With each meal, beta cells release insulin to help the body use or store the glucose it gets from food.
In people with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer makes insulin. The beta cells have been destroyed. They need insulin shots to use glucose from meals.
People with type 2 diabetes make insulin, but their bodies don't respond well to it. Some people with type 2 diabetes need diabetes pills or insulin shots to help their bodies use glucose for energy.
Insulin cannot be taken as a pill. It would be broken down during digestion just like the protein in food. Insulin must be injected into the fat under your skin for it to get into your blood.
There are more than 20 types of insulin sold. These insulins differ in how they are made, how they work in the body, and price.
- There are four types of insulin, based on
- How soon the insulin starts working (onset)
- When it works the hardest (peak time)
- How long it lasts in your body (duration)