Insulin is a hormone naturally produced by the pancreas that has as its main function to transport to the body organs a special form of sugar called glucose which is the main source of energy in the human body.
Insulin helps the glucose to enter the liver and once inside it favors storage. This means that it’s stored in the form of glycogen to use it when necessary.
In addition, within the liver, insulin allows the formation of fat and protein since it also facilitates the entry of another substance called amino acid.
In muscles, insulin acts allowing glucose, free fatty acids (fats) and amino acids entering the cell. It also helps by being stored in tissues as reserve of energy.
The liver, muscles and adipose tissue need insulin to help glucose enter the cells. That is why they are called insulindependents tissue. They glucose is stored steadily, to be used when required.
The process begins after we finish eating. This hormone is not involved in the digestion and absorption, but acts on by receiving new nutrients from food, to redistribute and send them to the different tissues that need them, for example, the extra calories go to adipose tissue to form fats, carbohydrates target muscles to provide energy for muscle contraction.
The action of insulin is made by several mechanisms and lasts about two hours. It helps the glucose enter the cells of tissues that depend on it, like the muscles and liver fatty tissue. Our brain, for example, is not insulindependent, but uses glucose directly, without the need of insulin. This also favors the formation of fat in fat tissue.
Another of its vital functions is to undertake a process called metabolism, in which foods that are digested are transformed into energy that the body needs. Without insulin, glucose, a form of sugar produced when we digest sugars and starches, can not be used properly, and as a result, glucose concentrates slowly into the bloodstream until it reaches high levels.
As you can see, is very important to know as much as we can the role that insulin plays within our body. Thus, we can prevent people with the highest risk of contracting diabetes to suffer from this terrible disease.