insulin

[blackeyed]

how does taking insulin work for a diabetic person?
does it convert the blood glucose to glycogen?
if so where is this glycogen stored, in the liver or the body cells?

[jomifl]

as I understand it insulin works by controlling the rate of across cell membrane transport thus enabling the glucose in the blood to be converted into glycogen in specialised cells. These cells are mostly in the liver but are also in places where there may be a sudden demand for energy such as in muscles.

[blackeyed]

so where does the artificial insulin deposits its glycogen in tje musle cells or the liver ones
?

[ethandron]

that's a really interesting question, something i've never thought about.
insulin in injected in to the muscle and then what happens?? hmmm, hope someone can explain it very simply, i'd be interested to know the answer too.

[ethandron]

actually, it's injected into the fatty layer.

[Sqad]

ethandron....no big deal....the injected Insulin is then absorbed into the blood stream and distributed throughout the body, just as in the normal state Insulin is secreted by the pancreas directly into the bloodstream and then distributed throughout the body.

[ethandron]

i thought that's what happened, but with the question being asked it made me wonder if i'd got it right. i imagine it's a bit more complicated than that, getting into physiology and stuff. just made me think about glucagon and glycogen too.
you never stop learning do you, and it's this thing about not knowing you need to ask the question until you read the answer, it's why i like this site so much :)

[blackeyed]

Sqad, what about the extra glycogen, is that stored in the liver cells?
And sqad, if the artificial insulin works fine as the secreated insulin, then why do the bones of a diabetic get weak? Isnt that an affect of the injected insulin?
Ethandron, this site most of the times confuses me but i still try to make an effort:)

[Sqad]

blackeyed, I had hoped that a biochemist would come on to help me out but none so far, so you will have to do with my "shoddy" answers.

Glycogen is stored in the liver, muscles, cells all over the body, ready for the need for energy....rather like a battery. The glycogen is broken down via a partly enzymatic process called glycogenolysis (Google it)
I didn´t know that bones of diabetics did get weak.........will check it after dinner.

[Sqad]

blackeyed........Osteoporosis is not listed as a complication of diabetes and I was never taught that it was at Medical School.

There are plenty of links however that suggest a link between diabetes and osteoporosis so I cannot go any further on that point....sorry.

[ethandron]

hmm, i had no idea about a link between weak bones and diabetes. must get my son to ask his doctor next time he has a check-up.

[blackeyed]

well, i have no scientific knowledge about any link between weak bones and diabetes.Its just that my granny has diabetis and and weak bones( there is a specific word for that kind of bones in my language but i dont know whats that called in english. I think the best word i can put is crumbling bones i.e, if u'd apply pressure the bones wud break) too. and my mother said that it was because of diabetes.
But diabetes does have its side-effects, like u start getting foot sores and ur body immunity for injuries go down. Am i right on that?

[Sqad]

The word that you are looking for is Osteoporosis.

It is a disorder, mainly of ageing (Brittle bones) and your granny may well have developed this despite of her diabetes.

[blackeyed]

and what about the foot sores?

[blackeyed]

and u know what sqad, i am being taught by a bio chemist but it doesnt help!

[Sqad]

Diabetics are prone to peripheral vascular disease which is basically poor circulation particularly to the lower limbs and hence any minor injury of the lower limb will be slow to heel and a "sitting duck" to superadded infection, which may in the extreme case lead to amputation of the toes or indeed the leg itself.

[ethandron]

important to remember though blackeyed, that not all diabetics get these side effects. a lot of it's down to good, tight control. some of it is down to luck too, but the tighter a person can get their control, and live a healthy lifestyle, the less chance of complications. regular check-ups are important too, to spot the beginnings of any of these complications as these days most are treatable before they become a huge problem.

[blackeyed]

right ethandreron
sqad, did u google all that?

[Sqad]

blackeyed....no....that is why it is so sketchy.;-)

[blackeyed]

its not at all sketchy it cleared a lot of my concepts.thanx lot sqad!! :)