Insulin

’s Form & Function Essay, Research Paper

Insulin has a few uses in the human body. Some are more important than others. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the body?s use of sugar and other foods. Insulin i produced in specialized cells in the pancreas, which is a part of the pancreas. Abnormalities cause the decrease of insulin, which causes diabetes. It is this disease that the body cannot use sugars properly and glucose ( a form of sugar) builds up in the blood.

When food is absorbed into the bloodstream, the pancreas increases the secretion of insulin into the blood. Insulin speeds the movement of nutrients from the blood stream into target cells, which are located mainly in the liver, muscles, and fat tissue. Specialized protein molecules called insulin recptors lie on the surface of the target cells. The insulin receptors bind to insulin, which activates the receptors. The activated receptors on cells hasten the entry and utilization of the nutrients. Glucose and other simple sugars, produced by the digestion of more complex carbohydrates, are used for immediate energy or converted to glycogen for storage.

Amino acids, produced by the digestion of proteins, move into cells and there form the building blocks for proteins. Fatty acids, produced by the digestion of fats are converted for storage and later used for energy. This occurs when you eat foods. For example, say that two minutes earlier you ate a nice big juicy steak. You are not going to instantly get energy. It takes time for the energy to be produced

An insufficient amount of insulin in the body causes a form of diabetes called Type I Diabetes. In a milder form of diabetes known as Type II diabetes, the patient usually produces normal amounts of insulin, but the body does not utilize insulin properly. This may occur because the patient has too few insulin receptors or has defective receptors. In most patients, the cause of the disorder is not know. In some people, tumors produced large amounts of receptors which causes the blood sugar to fall to a level far below normal, a condition called hypoglycemia.

In conclusion, insulin plays a big role in a person?s life especially for somebody who has diabetes. This is why its important for your body to produce insulin.

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