Insulin

Insulin is the hormone that helps our body to use the glucose as a source of energy.

Its inadequate production or a inadequate use cause diabetes.

Frederick Grant Banting had the idea which drove to the first medication against the diabetes.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize of medicine for this discovery in 1923.

The early symptoms are:

- To be thirsty.

- To lose weight.

- Fatigue.

- Blurred vision...

There are 2 types of diabetes:

- The first type is developed in children. In the first type, the body does not produce the insulin to use the glucose.

- The second type develops in adults. In this case, the insulin can´t be used appropriately.

There are 4 types of insulin too:

- Of fast action.

- Of short action.

- Of long action.

- Of normal action.

The insulin acts mainly in the metabolism of the glucose, so all the tissues of the body may use the glucose as an energy source.

In Spain, there are over 1200000 diabetic people.

Every year, doctors discover 11 cases of diabetes (the first type) in a group of 100000 people and over 60 cases of the type 2 in a group of 100000 people.

If Grant hadn't discovered the insulin, there would be about 30000 deaths caused by diabetes in Spain every year.

The first patient who received the insulin was Leonard Thompson, when he was 14 years old, if he hadn't been medicated, he would have died.

The diabetic people must keep a very strict diet: They can´t eat sugar or animal fats.