Insulin-Dependent Diabetes but may also necessary be for some with Type II of the disease. "All people must have insulin,'' explained a spokesman from Eli Lilly and Company, a leading pharmaceutical, "People who don't have diabetes are able to make enough insulin to keep their blood sugar at a normal level.

Insulin lowers blood sugar by allowing sugar to leave the blood stream and enter body cells. Without enough insulin, the level of sugar in your blood can become very high. People with Type I Diabetes can't make their own insulin.

They must take insulin shots every day to live. People with Type II Diabetes make insulin but can't use it very well. They can survive without insulin shots, but may take such shots to get their blood sugar levels closer to normal.'' According to the company, one in ten diabetics are diagnosed as having Type I, while about one of every three people with Type II Diabetes takes insulin shots. Insulin cannot be taken in a pill or tablet form, it must be injected under the skin, using a syringe. The amount of insulin one needs depends on a variety of factors: body weight body build (how much fat and muscle you have) level of physical activity daily food intake other medicines emotions general health amount of stress "Because people can be different in all of these ways, their needs for insulin will also be different. People also differ in when they need to take their insulin. Some people can control their diabetes with only one shot a day, while most people need two or more shots daily to keep their blood sugar in control. And some people need more than one type of insulin.'' The label on your insulin bottle shows that the insulin is either human or animal-source insulin. This is known as the species of the insulin.

Human insulin does not come from human beings, but is made to be the same as the insulin made by the human body. Human insulin is made in one of two ways -- recombinant DNA technology, a chemical process that makes it possible to make unlimited amounts of human insulin or, a process that chemically changes pork insulin to make human insulin.

Beef insulin comes from cows, pork insulin comes from pigs and beef-pork insulin is a mixture of beef and pork insulins.

The type of insulin is indicated by a large letter or number on the bottle label.

R -- Regular insulin S -- Semilente insulin N -- NPH insulin L -- Lente insulin 70/30 -- 70 percent NPH insulin and 30 percent regular insulin U -- Ultralente insulin P -- PZI insulin BR -- Buffered Regular insulin "An insulin's type tells how fast it starts to work and how long it works,'' explained the company. "Regular and Semilente insulins are short-acting insulins. They start to work quickly and are finished working sooner than other types of insulin. NPH and Lente insulins are intermediate-acting insulins. These insulins take longer to start acting than R and S insulins but also keep working longer than R and S insulins.

"70/30 insulin combines the actions of R and N insulins. The 30 percent Regular in the premixed insulin begins to work quickly. The 70 percent NPH begins to act as the R is finishing. Ultralente and PZI are long-acting. They start very slowly and last a long time. Buffered Regular insulin is specially made to be used in small machines called insulin pumps. It is not injected by syringe. All types and species of insulin work in the same way to lower blood sugar.'' The company added: "When you first start taking insulin, your doctor will probably change the dose or schedule several times. These changes will be made when your blood sugar tests show that a change is needed. Ask questions. It's important that you understand how and when your particular schedule of insulin works. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully. Together, you and your doctor can find the insulin routine that is best for your needs and lifestyle.'' HEALTH HTH Approximation from laboratory in test subjects. The times of onset, peak, and duration of effect vary greatly among individuals and are affected by many factors, including dose, species, site of injection, exercise of the injection area, and insulin antibodies. Regular formations may also be administered intravenously. This route affects onset and peak of action.