insulin
Pluralinsulins (some meanings)
- 1A natural body chemical that controls how the body uses sugar from food.
Like a key that opens cells so sugar can get inside them.
The body makes insulin to keep blood sugar at a healthy level.
After a big meal, insulin helps move sugar out of the blood.
Note
- 2A medicine that contains the hormone insulin, given to people whose bodies do not make enough of it.
Like a refill for something the body cannot make enough of on its own.
She injects insulin twice a day to manage her diabetes.
The pharmacy keeps insulin stored in the refrigerator.
- 3A medicine made from the hormone insulin or from man-made copies of it, used to treat diabetes.
Like having different versions of the same tool, some quick and some slow.
Doctors can choose an insulin that works fast or one that lasts all day.
Newer kinds of insulin act more smoothly than older ones.
Note
Practice
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Origin
From Latin "insula," meaning "island," plus "-in." It was named for the islets of Langerhans, where insulin is made.