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Long-Term Effects of Insulin on Blood Vessels

Insulin is the most common treatment for diabetes and is usually administered by injection. People with diabetes take insulin as long as the disease persists. Over time, there can be some side effects which affect blood vessels. Some patients develop a kind of insulin resistance, which can reduce the correct interaction of insulin inside blood vessels.

  1. How Insulin Works

    • Patients with diabetes suffer from a lack of control of blood sugar levels, which has many dangerous effects if left untreated. All the carbohydrates we eat are converted to glucose, which acts as the "fuel" to give us energy daily. Insulin controls blood sugar levels by allowing the glucose to be processed so that it can get into the body's cells. Your liver converts glycogen to glucose and releases it into your bloodstream when you're extremely hungry or you're under stress.

    Insulin Varieties

    • Insulin is available in several varieties. Some are designed to start working quickly, and others last for several hours so that insulin users are able to keep close control of their blood sugar levels. It cannot be taken by pill, since stomach acid destroys its active ingredients; it must be injected. Today's insulin syringes are compact with thin needles and so are easy to carry with you and almost painless to use.

    Insulin Dosage

    • Insulin can be taken on a regular fixed time basis or on a flexible basis and, in some cases combined with other medications for control of blood sugar. Your doctor will work out the right regiment for you along with an eating plan which works well with the medication. Also, you and your doctor need to monitor your blood sugar carefully. At times it may be important to change the dosage, the timing or your diet.

    Long-Term Effects

    • Doctors have known for a long time that that insulin resistance and the high insulin levels in the blood are definite risk factors for vascular disease. What was not clear is whether arteries become diseased because they were over-exposed or because they could not respond to the insulin. Christian Rask-Madsen of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston remarks, "We think about insulin resistance in liver, muscle and fat, but insulin also works on vascular cells."

    Research

    • In the May 2010 issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication indicates that the problem seems to be that vascular cells don't respond to the insulin, which can lead to arteriosclerosis. Many of the worst complications for diabetes patients, including strokes, heart disease and leg amputations, are caused by atherosclerosis. So while traditional insulin treatment must continue, the Report points to some promising new treatments to accommodate these findings.

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