Does insulin come from pigs?

When it comes to the topic of insulin, lots of questions arise. Where does it come from? How is it made? And most importantly, will it hurt when I inject myself with this needle that looks like it belongs in a torture museum? But for now, let’s focus on one question at hand – does insulin come from pigs? Now before you start picturing Babe and Wilbur stealing your diabetes medicine (Don’t worry they’re not), let’s dive into the world of endocrinology.

Insulin 101: The Basics

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas(not just any ordinary pan). It plays an essential role in regulating our blood sugar levels. When we eat carbohydrates (yes sadly even chocolate cake counts!), our body breaks them down into glucose. Glucose then enters our bloodstream raising our blood sugar levels, which signals the pancreas to release insulin(cue little happy dance). Insulin helps cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream and converts them into energy or stores them as fat (which nobody likes).

Where Does Insulin Come From?

We’ve established that insulin is naturally produced by humans but where do pharmaceutical companies get their supply to create lifesaving medication for individuals with diabetes? The good news is that no animals were harmed (yay!), as synthetic human-made insulins are available on the market nowadays. However, some forms of animal-insulins were used in earlier times when doctors didn’t have synthetic insulins available.

Types Of Animal-Insulins

Before there was modern technology or genetic engineering breakthroughs; cow and pig pancreases played an essential role in developing earlier versions of exogenous(insulin injected) medications through extracting pancreatic tissue(yummm!) And although these porcine products may seem distasteful now,at least they weren’t vegans pretending to be meat.

Bovine-Insulin

Bovine insulin is extracted from the cows’ pancreas and purified to create human-compatible medication(Not cow-friendly but Human-friendly). Although it was initially used in the 1920s, today synthetic insulins are much more popular than animal-derived products.

Porcine-Insulin

Porcine-insulin comes from pigs (bet you didn’t see that coming) and also requires purification before use by humans. According to studies, porcine-insular polypeptide is similar to our own insulin structure (yay for similarities!). However, modern medicine leads us away from using animals for medical purposes with more efficient alternatives on the rise (we’ll miss you Babe).

Modern Insulin Sources

In 1978 a breakthrough happened in science and genetic engineering which allowed researchers to produce human insulin synthetically using bacteria by inserting human DNA into its genetic makeup. This meant we could create pure insulin free of any other molecules or potential allergens found through animal extraction methods – this new method can generate faster results at larger quantities; thus gradually replacing less-efficient manufacturing techniques (sorry snoozer farm animals).

So . . . Does Insulin Come From Pigs?

Although some types of medications were created utilizing pig pancreatic tissue long ago, no need exists currently as multiple synthetic varieties exist(bring out the lab coats)-making Babes safe once again(who doesn’t love happy endings?)

However, where there’s bacon(or opportunity), there’s always alternative uses! And it turns out discarded pork organs make excellent ingredients for dog food(#winning) – so don’t feel bad if family pets consume bacony tidbits left over from Sundays brunch because (#SarcasmAlert) tummy-fillers matter too!

Conclusion: There Are Safe Alternatives To Animal-Based Insulins

To sum things up, Insulin does not come from pigs (time to put Wilbur down) as we now have safer and more efficient synthetic options available. While animal-derived medications have their roots in medical history, alternate sources are consistently replacing them as technology progresses.

So next time anyone starts throwing around questions about your diabetes medication and its pig-related origins; feel free to drop the science bomb(insert mic droop) and inform them of modern medicine’s progress!

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