Definition
Is a natural hormone produced in the pancreas by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans; controls the level of the sugar glucose in the blood. Insulin permits cells to use glucose for energy. Cells cannot utilize glucose without insulin. People who are Type 1 Diabetes mellitus must use manufactured insulin, usually in an injectable form, to replace the natural insulin that is no longer produced by their body (for instance as the result of beta-cell degeneration). People with Type 2 sometimes need to use insulin when their cells become too resistant to the insulin that they produce naturally and when oral medications are no longer working.
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
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(2008). Insulin. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47648-1_3075
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47648-1_3075
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-36847-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47648-1
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