Question

What would a diabetic patient do if enough human-insulin was not available?

Answer 1

Part 1: Insulin from cows and pigs

• Structure and function of insulin varies among different species of animals. However, it is proteinaceous. The human insulin is closest to cow (bovine) or pig (porcine) insulin in structural and functional aspects.
• Diabetic patients can use insulin isolated from the pancreas of slaughtered cattle and pigs. However, this is not a very efficient method as this can cause allergies.
• Using rDNA technology, insulin can be produced at a large scale for diabetic patients using human insulin gene

Part 2: Changing lifestyle
In case of non-availability of human insulin, the person should try to incorporate the following changes in lifestyle:

• Reduce carbohydrate intake
• Having balanced diet
• Practising regular exercise