INFOGRAPHIC

What Is Insulin?

Reviewed by Claudia Levi, R.N.
February 25, 2025
insulin noun a hormone that helps glucose enter your body’s cells to be used for energy

Insulin is a hormone that helps you use or store glucose (sugar) from the food you eat.

  • People with type 1 diabetes make little to no insulin in their bodies.
  • For those with type 2 diabetes, the body may make insulin, but it doesn’t use it well enough for the best control of blood sugar levels.

With either type, the levels of glucose in your blood can become too high when insulin doesn’t move glucose from the bloodstream to the body’s cells.

Different forms of synthetic insulin are available as medication, which people with type 1 need to take daily. Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need insulin as part of their treatment plan. Insulin is essential for helping people with type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes to use glucose better and keep their blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

You can talk to your doctor about whether insulin could be a helpful part of your overall diabetes management plan, which likely also includes diet and exercise.