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Diabetes Medication Article
Diabetes Pills
Background Information about Diabetes Pills
Our bodies need glucose as a source of energy for movement, growth, repair, and other functions. When we eat, our bodies break food down into organic compounds, one of which is glucose. But before the cells can use glucose, it must move from the bloodstream into the individual cells. This process requires insulin.
Insulin is produced by the beta cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. When glucose enters our blood, the pancreas should automatically produce the right amount of insulin to move glucose into our cells. People with type 2 diabetes either produce too little insulin, produce it too late to match the rise in blood glucose, or do not respond correctly to the insulin that is produced. Then glucose builds up in the blood, overflows into the urine, and passes out of the body. This means that the body loses its main source of energy even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose.
Diabetes pills work in one of three ways. They either stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin, increase the body's sensitivity to the insulin that is already present, or slow the breakdown of foods (especially starches) into glucose.
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