The rate of insulin in the blood: which level of insulin is considered to be high and which is low

Insulin is a special hormone in the human body that is produced by the pancreas. Its main task is to supply sugar, potassium, magnesium, calcium and other elements to every cell of the human body.

In addition, the function of insulin is to maintain normal blood glucose levels and to regulate the required carbohydrate metabolism. When the level of glucose in the blood of a person rises above the 100 mg / deciliter mark, the pancreas begins to synthesize the hormone in both women and men, children.  

Insulin begins to “collect” excess glucose, and deposits it in the muscle and fat tissues of the body. All the sugar that was in the muscle tissue is gradually converted into energy, and the transformation into fat is carried out in the fat cells.

Generally speaking, the most important element of the body is called insulin. Since it provides the build-up of muscle fibers, prevents premature muscle destruction, it “transports” nutrients that are necessary for normal and full functioning.

In connection with the importance, and most importantly, the indispensability of the hormone, it is necessary to figure out what the rate of insulin should be in children, men and women. And also to answer the main questions: why the level of insulin in the blood is exceeded, and why is it too low?

What is the norm?

Those people are considered healthy if the rate of insulin does not cross the accepted standards in medicine. In a situation where insulin in the blood is higher than the permissible norm, such a picture threatens the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

As mentioned, the main function of the hormone is to maintain blood sugar at the required level. In a situation where insulin is high or low, such a circumstance threatens with serious health problems and the development of concomitant diseases.

To find out your indicators, an empty stomach blood test is taken. And without fail, the examination is carried out before meals, because after eating the pancreas, which produces this hormone, begins to function actively, which will lead to incorrect results. 

Insulin norms are currently accepted:

• The norm of insulin in the blood in women and men varies from 3 to 25 μU / ml of insulin.
• In a child, the normal values ​​are slightly lower, and fluctuate in the range of 3-20 μU / ml.
• In a pregnant woman, the hormone rate in the blood is from 3 to 25 μU / ml.
• In older people, regardless of gender, from 6 to 27 μU / ml.
• Insulin antibodies norm: 0 – 10 U / ml.

It is the listed concentration of the level of insulin in the blood of people that is the norm, as a result of which the normal course of metabolic processes in the body is observed, and full-fledged vital activity is carried out.

As a rule, in order to obtain accurate results of your hormone, doctors recommend combining several studies at the same time, which, in their symbiosis, will provide the most informative and accurate data.

Here we are talking about the fact that you first need to donate blood for sugar on an empty stomach, and then carry out a glucose tolerance test 2 hours after consuming glucose in the form of a solution in a certain concentration.

It should be noted that insulin after exercise necessarily increases in a healthy person, but this does not happen in an insulin-dependent diabetic.

In some situations, the doctor may recommend donating blood for insulin and C-peptide. It is C-peptide that makes it possible to determine that the secretion of the pancreatic hormone is too low.

In addition, this analysis allows early detection of tumor formations of the pancreas.

Insulin Above Normal: What Does It Mean?

Often there are situations when an insulin test shows a high rate. And this circumstance really makes you worry, as this may indicate the onset of irreversible pathologies.

Such pathological changes affect all internal organs and systems, without exception, regardless of a person’s gender and age group.

The reason for this condition can be active and serious physical activity on the body, especially for the fair sex. Excessive insulin levels may indicate the emotional instability of the patient, who is constantly exposed to stress and nervous tension.

In medical practice, the following reasons for an increase in insulin levels are also distinguished:

1. Diabetes mellitus leads to the fact that insulin is increased.
2. Uncontrolled synthesis of the hormone responsible for human growth.
3. Obesity at any stage.
4. Pancreatic insulinoma.
5. Pancreatic pathology.
6. Certain liver diseases.
7. Disorder of the functionality of the pituitary gland.

It is worth noting that it often happens that the level of insulin rises, while glucose at the same time remains at the required level. In any case, this state of a person indicates the presence of pathological processes in the body.

If the study shows that the concentration of insulin is the reason due to which the sugar became low, then this picture does not pass without a trace, and is accompanied by increased sweating, tremors of the limbs, rapid heartbeat, fainting, nausea and constant hunger.

The reason for this condition may be a probable overdose of the hormone, when the rate of insulin in women and men is significantly exceeded. That is why those people who inject themselves with insulin must be extremely careful when injecting it, and must correctly calculate the dose for each injection. 

Low hormone levels

In a situation when insulin is below normal, another hormone begins to activate in the human body – glucagon, which is also produced in the pancreas.

The action of this hormone is directly opposite to insulin: it increases the concentration of sugar, as a result of which the human body is oversaturated with glucose, as a result, this leads to the development of negative symptoms.

The level of the hormone must necessarily be within the normal range, since an increasing or decreasing indicator leads to a violation of the functionality of internal organs and systems.

If insulin in a person’s blood is less than normal, or very little, we can talk about the following prerequisites:

• Development of type 1 diabetes mellitus.
• Passive lifestyle.
• Disorder of the full functioning of the pituitary gland.
• Nervous and emotional exhaustion of the body.
• Improper diet when food is saturated with pure carbohydrates.
• Chronic infectious diseases.
• Unbearable physical activity mainly on an empty stomach.

Low levels of the hormone can cause sugar to not enter the cells, as a result of which there is a significant increase in sugar.

As a result, the following symptoms arise: a constant feeling of thirst, unreasonable anxiety, sudden hunger, increased excitability and irritability, frequent urge to use the toilet.

How to lower insulin?

Having learned what is the rate of insulin after exercise, and also how important the calculated hormone for injection is, it is necessary to find out how you can reduce insulin, and what methods will help? A high concentration of the hormone becomes a consequence of a number of diseases that are extremely difficult to cure. In order not to face such difficulties, it is necessary to attend to a decrease in these indicators in human blood. 

For this, there are certain rules recommended by medical specialists. It is necessary to deliberately abandon frequent meals, it is enough to eat two or three times a day, which will allow taking longer breaks between meals, as a result of which there will be enough time to complete the detoxification of decay products.

You can arrange for yourself a fasting day once a week, completely refusing to eat food. Foods enriched with fiber should prevail in the diet, but simple carbohydrates should be abandoned.

Physical activity is also important, so you need to play sports at least several times a week. At the same time, strength training and aerobic training are mandatory.

For the full functioning of the human body, it is necessary to maintain a normal level of the hormone in the blood. Any deviations of the indicators in one direction or another can lead to severe pathological processes.