Insulin and Diabetes

Made by the beta cells in your pancreas, insulin is a key hormone. Insulin helps sugar, or glucose, move from your blood into your cells. This lowers your blood sugar levels. Whatʼs more, the cells of your body use this blood sugar for fuel, so insulin is very important.

Without enough insulin, blood sugar cannot be moved to parts of the body that need it. This can result in high blood sugar. High blood sugar can then cause many different problems, which are considered signs or symptoms of diabetes. These symptoms may include extreme thirst or hunger, weight loss, feeling unusually tired and irritable.

Diabetes is a condition in which sugar levels in your blood are high. With diabetes, the body may not be able to produce enough insulin or to use insulin the right way. It may be that the body does not produce any insulin at all. Without insulin to help the body use blood sugar, blood sugar levels increase in the body. This is why most people with diabetes require treatment to lower blood sugar levels.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes

There are two main types of diabetes. Learn more about the causes, symptoms, and differences between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.