Insulin • How it works? Researched 64 times

Insulin hormone

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«Insulin (from Latininsula, island) is a peptide hormone produced by beta cell of the pancreatic islets; it is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body.^[5] It regulates the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat and protein by promoting the absorption of carbohydrate, especially glucose from the blood into liver, fat and skeletal muscle cell.^[6] In these tissues the absorbed glucose is converted into either glycogen via glycogenesis or fat (triglycerides) via lipogenesis, or, in the case of the liver, into both.^[6]Glucose production and secretion by the liver is strongly inhibited by high concentration of insulin in the blood.^[7] Circulating insulin also affects the synthesis of proteins in a wide variety of tissues. It is therefore an anabolic hormone, promoting the conversion of small molecules in the blood into large molecules inside the cell. Low insulin levels in the blood have the opposite effect by promoting widespread catabolism, especially of reserve body fat.

Beta cell are sensitive to glucose concentration, also known as blood sugar levels. When the glucose level is high, the beta cell secrete insulin into the blood; when glucose levels are low, secretion of insulin is inhibited.^[8] Their neighboring alpha cell, by taking their cues from the beta cell,^[8] secrete glucagon into the blood in the opposite manner: increased secretion when blood glucose is low, and decreased secretion when glucose concentration are high.^[6]^[8]Glucagon, through stimulating the liver to release glucose by glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, has the opposite effect of insulin.^[6]^[8] The secretion of insulin and glucagon into the blood in response to the blood glucose concentration is the primary mechanism of glucose homeostasis.^[8]

If beta cell are destroyed by an autoimmune reaction, insulin can no longer be synthesized or be secreted into the blood. This results in type 1 diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by abnormally high blood glucose concentration, and generalized body wasting.^[9] In type 2 diabetes mellitus the destruction of beta cell is less pronounced than in type 1 diabetes, and is not due to an autoimmune process. Instead there is an accumulation of amyloid in the pancreatic islets, which likely disrupts their anatomy and physiology.^[8] The pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes is not well understood but patients exhibit a reduced population of islet beta-cell, reduced secretory function of islet beta-cell that survive, and peripheral tissue insulin resistance.^[5] Type 2 diabetes is characterized by high rates of glucagon secretion into the blood which are unaffected by, and unresponsive to the concentration of glucose in the blood. Insulin is still secreted into the blood in response to the blood glucose.^[8] As a result, the insulin levels, even when the blood sugar level is normal, are much higher than they are in healthy persons.

The human insulin protein is composed of 51 amino acids, and has a molecular mass of 5808 Da. It is a dimer of an A-chain and a B-chain, which are linked together by disulfide bonds. Insulin's structure varies slightly between species of animals. Insulin from animal sources differs somewhat in effectiveness (in carbohydrate metabolism effects) from human insulin because of these variations. Porcine insulin is especially close to the human version, and was widely used to treat type 1 diabetics before human insulin could be produced in large quantities by recombinant DNA technologies.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

The crystal structure of insulin in the solid state was determined by Dorothy Hodgkin. It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.^[14]» (wikipedia)

It is a hormone. Here is an overview of its with

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Effects

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Sources of Insulin

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→ May be increased with an increase of cofactors: ,

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What Insulin increases or causes?

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Insulin Biolinks

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Obviously Hyperinsulinemia increases Insulin
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Obviously Insulin excess causes Hyperinsulinemia
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Obviously Enteroendocrine cells produce Insulin
7.2
Fenugreek increases Insulin
5.0
Leptin inhibits Insulin
5.0
Insulin increases Leptin
4.9
Barberry decreases Insulin
4.6
Hypoxia may increase Insulin
4.5
Melatonin inhibits Insulin
3.8
Aldosterone lowers Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
3.3
Strawberry improves Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
3.3
Selenium does not affect Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
3.1
Insulin upregulates Lipoprotein Lipase
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
3.1
Insulin decreases Apolipoprotein B
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
3.1
Testosterone decreases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
3.1
Acipimox decreases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
2.9
Insulin deficiency lowers Hepatic lipase
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
2.9
Insulin increases apoCIII
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
2.9
Insulin inhibits HSSL
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
2.8
Magnesium may reduce Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
2.7
Citrulline lowers Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
2.7
BMAL1 increases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Acceptable.)
2.2
Metformin does not affect Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
2.2
Cholelithiasis associated with Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.8
Ketogenic Diet lowers Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.8
Stress increase Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.8
Insulin increases Cell proliferation
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.8
Oxidative stress lower Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.6
Insulin stimulates IGF1 Receptor
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.6
Insulin increases Growth Hormone
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.5
Perhaps, Fructose does not increase Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.5
Colostrum increases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.5
Hypokalemia lowers Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.5
Caffeine increases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.5
AMPK modulates Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.4
Insulin increases absorption of Potassium
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.4
Insulin decreases Lipolysis
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.4
Insulin decreases Autophagy
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.3
Insulin inhibits Lipolysis
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.3
Insulin decreases AMPK
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.3
Insulin increases Akt
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.1
Beta2-Agonist increases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
1.0
Insulin increases VEGF
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Low.)
0.8
Gilbert's Syndrome may decrease Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Very Light.)
0.6
Perhaps, Insulin excess lowers Neurogenesis
(Not proven by a research!)
0.6
Perhaps, Insulin lowers Fertility
(Not proven by a research!)
0.6
Perhaps, Insulin inhibits Melatonin
(Not proven by a research!)
0.5
Perhaps, Cortisol increases Insulin
(Not proven by a research!)
0.3
Perhaps, Potassium is cofactor for Insulin
(Not proven by a research!)
0.3
Perhaps, Insulin lowers Glucose
(Not proven by a research!)
-0.6
Perhaps, Insulin increases Klotho
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-0.7
Perhaps, Pancreas secrete Insulin
(BioMindmap had flagged this statement.)
-0.9
Perhaps, Osteocalcin increases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.0
Perhaps, Leptin reduces secretion of Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.0
Perhaps, Insulin enhances Memory
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.1
Perhaps, Lean meat increases Insulin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.2
Perhaps, Insulin increases Osteocalcin
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.3
Perhaps, Insulin lowers Testosterone
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.3
Perhaps, Insulin increases Salt retention
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.3
Perhaps, Insulin lowers Serum Potassium
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.3
Perhaps, Insulin causes Vasodilation
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.)
-1.4
Perhaps, Insulin increases Dopamine
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.) (BioMindmap had flagged this statement.)
-1.8
Perhaps, Insulin affects Fat Mass
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.) (BioMindmap had flagged this statement.)
-2.1
Perhaps, Insulin increases Aldosterone
(BioMindmap Proof Quality is Negative.) (BioMindmap had flagged this statement.)

Evidence Sources

Biolinks for Insulin are extracted by users from 59 related publications.

Insulin hormone

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Insulin Biolinks

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Insulin hormone Favourite Track My Medkit My Symptoms My Goals

Summary on Insulin

Biochemistry Bolder font means better proofs. Alt+click opens node.

Sources of Insulin

Insulin hormone

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Biochemistry

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