What Body Part Produces Insulin?

Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas that allows your body to turn blood glucose into a form of energy your cells can use. Without insulin you would starve to death no matter how much you ate. Following is information on how your body produces insulin and what happens if you do not produce enough.

Insulin Production

• Your pancreas is a small gland that sits next to your stomach and small intestine. The pancreas produces both the hormone insulin and enzymes that help you digest the food you eat. Insulin is produced by small clusters of cells in the pancreas called islets of Langerhans. The cells, named for the German scientist Paul Langerhans who discovered them in the 1860s, make up about 1 to 2 percent of the pancreas. Receptors in these cells monitor your blood sugar level, and when your blood sugar gets high, the pancreas releases insulin.

Digestion

• Digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas are released directly into your small intestine. These enzymes "complete the stomach's unfinished business, releasing all the nutrients from food so they can be absorbed in the small intestine," according to Erika Gebel, PhD, in Diabetes Forecast magazine. "The pancreas's second important digestive task is neutralizing stomach acids that could tear up the sensitive lining of the small intestine."

Diabetes

• People who do not produce enough insulin or who cannot efficiently use the insulin they do produce are classified as diabetics. Diabetics who produce little or no insulin are classified as type 1, and those who produce either an insufficient amount of insulin or are resistant to the insulin they do produce are classified as type 2 diabetics. Diabetics who produce too little insulin, both type 1 and type 2, must take the hormone on a regular basis.

Significance

• Diabetes is a widespread condition that can have serious consequences if untreated. "Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease for people in the United States," according to Diabetes MD. "Over the past ten years, deaths caused by heart disease, stroke and cancer have gone down, while those caused by diabetes have gone up by 45 percent." Nearly 24 million people in the United States have diabetes, and the number continues to grow, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Risks

• Serious complications from diabetes include an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, nerve damage, retinopathy (eye disease) and kidney disease, according to the National Institutes of Health. The risk of developing these complications can be reduced by effective management of your diabetes.