In the human body, everything is thought out to the smallest detail. Each organ or system is responsible for certain processes. Having disrupted the work of one of them, you can once and for all say goodbye to well-being. Of course, many of us have heard about hormones, as about certain substances that are produced by certain glands. They are different in their chemical composition, but they also have common properties - to be responsible for the metabolism in the human body, and therefore for its good work.
Is insulin a hormone of which gland?
It should be noted right away that all processes taking place in any organ are a very complex, but nonetheless interconnected system.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, or rather, formations located in its very depths. In medicine, they are also called islets of Langerhans-Sobolev. By the way, note that insulin is the hormone that affects almost all functions in the human body. It belongs to the peptide series and was created for the qualitative saturation of all body cells with necessary substances.
The pancreatic hormone insulin is able to carry potassium, various amino acids, and most importantly, glucose, through the blood. The latter is responsible for the balance of carbohydrates. The scheme is this: you eat food, glucose levels increase in the body, therefore, the blood insulin index rises. We often hear in medicine about a substance such as insulin. Everyone immediately associates it with diabetes. But to answer a simple question: βIs insulin a hormone of what, an organ or tissue? Or maybe it is developed by the whole system? β - not every person can.
Insulin (hormone) - functions in the human body
Think for yourself, the action of the hormone insulin is to ensure proper nutrition of all body cells. He is primarily responsible for establishing the balance of carbohydrates in the human body. But in case of a malfunction in the pancreas, protein and fat metabolism are simultaneously affected. Keep in mind that insulin is a protein hormone, which means it can get into the human stomach from the outside, but it will be quickly digested and not absorbed at all. The action of the hormone insulin is to affect most enzymes. But his main task, according to scientists and doctors, is the timely reduction of glucose in the blood. Often, doctors prescribe a special analysis that will clearly identify whether the hormone insulin is elevated or not in the patient. Thus, it is possible to determine whether the patient's ailments are associated with incipient diabetes mellitus or with another disease. Of course, you can live with such a diagnosis, the main thing is to detect it in time and start implementing maintenance therapy.
Medical Insulin Standards
Any indicator has a certain scale of values ββby which it is possible to judge the condition of the patient. If we claim that insulin is a hormone of the pancreas, it is worth understanding that after each meal it can be increased. Therefore, there are some standards for taking tests. It is necessary not to eat 1.5 hours before them or come to conduct a study strictly on an empty stomach.
Then there is a high probability of a reliable result. The most basic thing the doctor is trying to understand is whether the patient has diabetes mellitus, and if other problems arise, prescribe appropriate additional studies and medications. Immediately, we note that each medical laboratory or institution is able to indicate its individual values ββof the studied indicator, which in the end will be considered normal. In principle, the hormone insulin, the norm of which on an empty stomach will be an average of 3-28 ΞΌU / ml, can also vary slightly. Therefore, when receiving the results of the analysis, try not to panic, but it is better to visit a competent specialist to decipher them. For example, pregnant women have indicators that differ from other people (an average of 6-28 ΞΌU / ml). When the doctor suspects it is
diabetes, it makes sense to mention two of its main types:
- the hormone insulin is lowered - the pancreas does not cope with its work and produces it in insufficient quantities - type 1 diabetes;
- the hormone insulin is increased - the opposite is the situation when there is a lot of the corresponding substance in the body, but it does not feel it and produces even more - type 2 diabetes.
Does insulin affect human growth?
At present, it is probably easy to get various drugs to increase muscle and bone tissue. This is usually practiced by athletes who need to gain weight in a short time and make their body more prominent. I would like to immediately note that insulin and growth hormone are closely interrelated. How this happens is difficult to figure out, but possible. Growth hormone is a certain drug belonging to the peptide series. It is he who is able to cause accelerated development of muscles and tissues. Its action is as follows: it influences the growth of muscles in a powerful way, while burning fat in large quantities. Of course, this cannot but affect the carbohydrate metabolism in the body. The mechanism is simple: growth hormone directly increases the level of glucose in the blood. At the same time, the pancreas, which functions normally, begins to work intensely, producing large amounts of insulin. But if you use this drug in uncontrolled doses, the above organ cannot cope with the load, respectively, glucose in the blood rises, and this is fraught with the appearance of a disease called diabetes mellitus. Remember one simple formula:
- low blood sugar - growth hormone enters the body in large quantities;
- high blood sugar - insulin is produced in large quantities.
Growth hormone - the course and its dosages should be prescribed to athletes only by experienced trainers or doctors. Because excessive use of this drug can lead to terrible consequences for further health. Many people are inclined to believe that when you introduce growth hormone to yourself, you definitely need to help the work of your own pancreas using the appropriate dose of insulin.
Woman and man - are their insulin levels the same?
Naturally, many tests directly depend on the gender and age of the patient.
It has already become clear that pancreatic hormone (insulin) is responsible for controlling blood glucose levels. Therefore, in order to evaluate the work of this body, it will be enough to donate blood for sugar. This study is carried out by taking
blood from a vein on an empty stomach. Remember the following indicators by which you can assess whether the hormone insulin is produced in sufficient quantities in your body. The norm for women and men is the same: the concentration of glucose in the blood will be 3.3-5.5 mmol / L. If it is in the range of 5.6-6.6 mmol / l, then it will be advisable to follow a special diet and conduct additional studies. This is the so-called borderline state when it is still pointless to talk about diabetes. You need to start worrying already if the blood glucose level is close to 6.7 mmol / L. In this case, doctors advise you to take the next test - glucose tolerance. Here are some other numbers:
- 7.7 mmol / l and below is the normal value;
- 7.8-11.1 mmol / l - violations in the system are already observed;
- above 11.1 mmol / l - the doctor can talk about diabetes.
From the above results it becomes clear that in women and in men the insulin norms are approximately the same, that is, gender does not have any effect on this. But pregnant ladies should remember that in their interesting situation there are specific deviations from existing norms. This is often due to the fact that the pancreas does not produce the hormone insulin in sufficient quantities, and blood sugar rises. Usually everything is regulated by a special diet, but sometimes doctors in this case talk about diabetes in pregnant women. Children are still a separate category, since at their early age, due to the underdevelopment of the nervous system and insufficiently active functioning of all organs, blood glucose levels can be lowered. But even with its increase (5.5-6.1 mmol / l), it is necessary to understand in more detail, because this may be due to a violation of the rules for passing the analysis itself.
What is glucagon?
So, from the above it follows that insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. But, in addition to this, this body is responsible for the production of other substances, such as glucagon and C-peptide. We are very interested in the functions of the first of them. After all, in fact, they are directly opposite to the work of insulin. Accordingly, it becomes clear that the hormone glucagon increases blood sugar. Thus, these substances maintain the glucose indicator in a neutral state. It is worth noting that the hormones insulin and glucagon are substances that are produced by just one of the many organs of the human body. In addition to them, there is still a huge number of tissues and systems that deal with the same. And for good blood sugar levels, these hormones are not always enough.
Increased insulin - what is it fraught with?
Of course, not always increasing this indicator will necessarily lead to diabetes.
One of the most common consequences can be obesity, and only then a disease of
high blood
sugar . Often, doctors and nutritionists, to explain to their patients a simple mechanism for the formation of excess weight, begin their story by answering a simple question: "Is insulin a hormone of which gland?" After all, people who eat a large amount of
carbohydrate food (for example, flour and sweet foods) do not think about how much stress their pancreas experiences at the same time. Of course, you can eat these products, but in moderate portions, then the whole system works organically. In general, with this diet, the following happens: insulin rises constantly (i.e., this process takes on a chronic form), but sugar enters the body in unmeasured quantities, as a result, it is simply deposited in fat. And remember that in this case, the appetite is greatly increased. A vicious circle, from which it will be very difficult for you to get out, is provided: you eat a lot of unwholesome food and tightly - insulin is increased - fat is deposited - appetite is increased - again we eat in unlimited quantities. It is best to contact specialists in time who will prescribe appropriate diets and all the necessary tests.
Diabetes
This is a terrible disease that has become the so-called plague of the 20th century. And not only because of the large number of sick, but also because of the reasons for its appearance and a decrease in the age of patients. Now, diabetes can occur not only in an elderly person, who, in principle, is prone to this ailment due to the deterioration of the functioning of all his organs, but also in young children. Scientists around the world are trying to find the answer to this complex question. After all, it turns out that a child with diabetes should maintain a normal level of insulin throughout his subsequent life. It is not difficult to identify this disease, an experienced doctor should prescribe a few simple studies. First, blood is donated for sugar and it is determined whether it is elevated. With a positive result, they are already acting as follows: they conduct a glucose tolerance test and make an appropriate diagnosis. When diabetes is confirmed, the doctor needs to understand how much of the hormone you are studying is not specifically enough for your body. For this, it is worth taking an insulin test. It must be understood that diabetes is of only two types:
- 1st: insulin is reduced, while correspondingly, blood glucose is increased. As a result, urination increases and sugar is detected in the urine;
- 2nd: there is an increase in insulin. Why is this happening? There is also glucose in the blood, insulin is produced, but the body decreases its sensitivity to it, that is, it seems that it does not see it. In this case, it makes sense to prescribe special studies, such as a blood test for immunoreactive insulin.
Since insulin is a pancreatic hormone, it would be logical to assume that in the case of diabetes, the doctor will prescribe drugs for the normal functioning of this body. But the insulin coming from outside the body will also need. Therefore, you need to purchase the necessary medicines. By the way, when the diagnosis is made and you will need to independently measure the level of glucose in your blood daily at home, it will be advisable to purchase a device known to everyone - a glucometer. It allows you to easily find out the required value in a few seconds without much difficulty. Using disposable needles, you make a small puncture on your finger and collect blood with a test strip. Insert it into the meter, and the result is ready. Usually it turns out reliable.
What drugs contain insulin?
Immediately it is worth stipulating that moment that all preparations containing insulin should be prescribed strictly by your attending physician, there should not be any self-medication, its consequences are too dangerous. A person who suffers from diabetes just needs insulin (hormone) coming from outside.
The functions of the pancreas, which does not cope with its work on its own, should be maintained constantly. How to understand how much insulin a particular patient needs? This figure is measured in special carbohydrate units. Simply put, you consider how many carbohydrates are in each food, and, accordingly, you understand how much insulin you have to inject to lower blood sugar. Of course, there are various analogues of drugs containing insulin. For example, when it comes to reduced hormone, when in fact the pancreas does not cope with its work, it is worth resorting to drugs that can activate its activity (say, the drug "Butamide"). In principle, we can say that this is not pure insulin introduced into your body, but only a substance that will somehow help the body recognize this hormone produced by its own appropriate body. Anyone who has ever encountered the problem of diabetes is well aware that currently all drugs aimed at combating it are released as injections for injections. Naturally, scientists all over the world are puzzling over how to make this procedure easier and find a medicine in another form (for example, tablets). But so far to no avail. In principle, for those who are used to daily procedures of this type, they already seem completely painless. Even children are able to make such an injection under the skin on their own. Usually, insulin injected begins to work on average in half an hour, it will concentrate as much as possible in the blood after about 3 hours. Its duration is about 6 hours. Those who have definitely been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus need to receive such injections three times a day: in the morning (always on an empty stomach), at noon, in the evening. Of course, the action of injected insulin is sometimes necessary to extend (in medical language this is called prolongation). You can do this procedure using the following suspensions: zinc-insulin (duration 10-36 hours), protamine-zinc-insulin (24-36 hours). They are administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly.
Is an overdose of insulin possible?
We know that in a dosage form, insulin is a hormone. What cannot be done with it for sure is to appoint or cancel its introduction on its own.
If there is a situation when there is too much insulin in the blood - this is the so-called overdose or hypoglycemia - the situation should be urgently corrected. First of all, you must clearly understand what is happening to the person: he may suddenly want to eat a lot, start sweating and irritated, show inexplicable aggression or even faint. The worst thing in this case is
hypoglycemic shock, when convulsions inevitably occur and the activity of the heart is disturbed. Mandatory actions in this situation:
- you need to replenish blood sugar reserves, that is, eat something containing it: a piece of sugar, a sweet cookie or a slice of ordinary white bread - this is done when the very first symptoms appear;
- when the situation is absolutely critical and shock is inevitable, an urgent need to inject glucose solution (40%) intravenously.
Be sure to monitor how your body, in principle, behaves in response to the use of insulin injections. After all, each of us is individual. , , ( ). , , . , .
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