Causes (2)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Diabetic neuropathy
Complications (7)
- Dehydration
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Amputation and diabetes: How to protect your feet
- see all in Complications
Lifestyle and home remedies (23)
- Diabetes management: How lifestyle, daily routine affect blood sugar
- Diabetes nutrition: Eating out when you have diabetes
- Diabetes nutrition: Including sweets in your meal plan
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Prevention (1)
- Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control
Risk factors (1)
- Diabetes risk self-assessment
Symptoms (1)
- Diabetes symptoms: When to consult your doctor
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Blood sugar tests: Understanding your results
Treatments and drugs (9)
- Insulin and weight gain: Keep the pounds off
- Erectile dysfunction and diabetes: Take control today
- Intensive insulin therapy: Achieving tight blood sugar control
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Diabetes treatment: Using insulin to manage your blood sugar
Understanding how insulin affects your blood sugar can help you better manage your condition.
By Mayo Clinic staffInsulin therapy is often an important part of diabetes treatment. Understand the key role insulin plays in managing your blood sugar and the goals of insulin therapy. What you learn can help you prevent diabetes complications.
The role of insulin in the body
It may be easier to understand the importance of insulin therapy if you understand how insulin normally works in the body and what happens when you have diabetes.
- Regulate sugar in your bloodstream. The main job of insulin is to keep the level of sugar in the bloodstream within a normal range. After you eat, carbohydrates break down into sugar and enter the bloodstream in the form of glucose, a sugar that serves as a primary source of energy. Normally the pancreas responds by producing insulin, which allows sugar to enter the tissues.
- Storage of excess glucose for energy. After you eat — when insulin levels are high — excess glucose is stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. Between meals — when insulin levels are low — the liver releases glycogen into the bloodstream in the form of sugar. This keeps blood sugar levels within a narrow range.
If your pancreas secretes little or no insulin (type 1 diabetes) or your body produces too little insulin or has become resistant to insulin's action (type 2 diabetes), the level of sugar in your bloodstream increases. This is because it's unable to enter cells. Left untreated, high blood sugar can lead to complications such as blindness, nerve damage (neuropathy) and kidney damage.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Insulin routines. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/injections.jsp. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- About insulin and other drugs. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/type-2-diabetes/insulin.jsp. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- Mantzoros C et al. Insulin action. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- Diabetes overview. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/overview/index.htm. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- What I need to know about gestational diabetes. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/gestational/index.htm#8. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
