Insulin is given either with multiple daily injections using insulin pens or syringes, or by using an insulin pump. For type 2 diabetes, the pancreas no longer produces enough insulin or the body is not able to use its own insulin effectively.
For type 1 diabetes, the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin. As a result, people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes will need to start on insulin immediately and take it for life. Insulin is given either with multiple daily injections using insulin pens or syringes, or by using an insulin pump.
Insulin is produced by cells in the pancreas, called the islets of Langerhans. These cells continuously release a small amount of insulin into the body, but they release surges of the hormone in response to a rise in the blood glucose level. Certain cells in the body change the food ingested into energy, or blood glucose, that cells can use.