Insulin is the hormone that regulates the blood glucose level in body. A deficiency or resistance of the same leads to either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Thus, Insulin is prescribed to help utilize the blood sugar levels aptly, there by providing energy and lowering the ill effects of high glucose levels to the body.
Insulin is characterized by following three traits
Onset is the time span insulin takes to reach the bloodstream and start acting on reducing the blood sugar.
Peaktime is the time span at which insulin shows its maximum capability to reduce blood glucose.
Duration is how long insulin has its effect on the blood glucose, lowering the levels.
Based on the above three characters insulin is classified into 4 types
1. Rapid Acting insulin
2. Regular or Short-acting insulin
3. Intermediate-acting insulin
4. Long-acting insulin
The below table will give complete information on the types. Please note that all the time parameters mentioned are considered after insulin administration. When it is mentioned that the onset is 30 minutes, it means, 30 minutes after insulin administration.
