Diabetes made simple

Diabetes...

Is a disease where the concentration of glucose in the blood is not controlled properly by the body. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. This can lead to high levels of glucose in the blood, which can be fatal.

You should be able to evaluate experimental data from Banting and Best’s experiments which led to insulin being discovered.

Two doctors, Frederick Banting and Charles Best, made an extract from the pancreas in 1921. The extract had anti-diabetic properties, and they tested it successfully on diabetic dogs. The first tests in humans were carried out in 1922, and were a success too. Some patients who were in a diabetic coma even recovered. The extract contained the hormone insulin.

There are two types of treatment for diabetes:

• Careful monitoring of food intake, with particular care taken over carbohydrates - which are digested into glucose.
• Injecting insulin into the blood before meals. The extra insulin causes glucose to be taken up by the liver and other tissues. Cells get the glucose they need for respiration, and the blood glucose concentration stays normal.