Type 1 Diabetes 101.
What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone. It makes our body’s cells absorb glucose from the blood. The glucose is stored in the liver and muscle as glycogen and stops the body from using fat as a source of energy.
When there is very little insulin in the blood, or none at all, glucose is not taken up by most body cells. When this happens our body uses fat as a source of energy. Insulin is also a control signal to other body systems, such as amino acid uptake by body cells.
Insulin is produced in the pancreas. When protein is ingested insulin is released.
Insulin is also released when glucose is present in the blood. After eating carbohydrates, blood glucose levels rise.
Insulin makes it possible for glucose to enter our body’s cells – without glucose in our cells they would not be able to function. Without insulin the glucose cannot enter our cells.
And as Mod-80 stated, cells with no glucose is like a car with no gasoline. Your body doesnt work, especially after it starts burning fat and the resulting byproduct cause high levels of acid to be found in the blood, leading to what is called DKA (forgive the spelling…diabetic ketonic acedocis).
Regarding fasting, Rabbi Meisels over at FWD (friends with diabetes, or as he calls his group – rayim mesukim)has all sorts of tips for fasting including many pre fast tips.