When you eat, glucose, the body's primary energy source, is picked up in the blood stream and carried to the cells of your body. If there is more glucose in the blood than is required for immediate use, it is either stored as fat in fat cells, or as glycogen in the muscles and liver. Both glycogen and fat can be used as energy. The hormone insulin is needed to facilitate the movement of glucose from the blood into the cells, and therefore plays a pivotal role in controlling the level of glucose in the blood.
Insulin Production
The pancreas is the organ responsible for insulin production. Beta cells inside the pancreas produce insulin, which is released after you eat. Insulin helps your body use the glucose created from digested food.
Diabetes
Glucose levels become uncontrolled when the body is no longer regulating the movement of glucose out of the blood stream, as is the case with diabetics. The blood glucose level of diabetics is high, and results from low insulin production, the body's inability to properly use insulin, or both. Diabetes is a condition that affects more than 20 million Americans, the National Institute of Health states. There are three main types of diabetes, Types 1 and 2, and gestational diabetes.
Types 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system in an autoimmune response. The immune system fights off infections by attacking cells it deems to be dangerous, and an autoimmune reaction occurs when the immune system targets cells of the body to be destroyed as enemies. When the beta cells are compromised by this autoimmune disease, insulin production decreases or stops, and blood glucose level cannot be regulated naturally. People suffering from Type 1 diabetes are forced to take insulin to survive.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, the type affecting 90 to 95 percent of diabetics, says The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. In this form of the disease, the pancreas produces adequate amounts of insulin, but the body becomes resistant and does not use the insulin efficiently. Although the insulin is there, the blood glucose level increases because the body cannot remove it from the blood to use as energy.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes affects some women in the latter stages of pregnancy, the result of insulin shortage or hormones associated with pregnancy. It may be asymptomatic and usually goes away after delivery, but women who get gestational diabetes have a "40 to 50 percent chance of developing Type 2 diabetes within five to 10 years" says the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestion and Kidney Diseases.
Controlling Blood Glucose
Your body's ability to produce and use insulin is the factor that will determine whether your blood glucose level is normal, or uncontrolled. A blood glucose test will tell if your levels are within normal range, and your doctor will work with you to determine the type of intervention necessary to properly regulate your blood glucose level.
