Pancreas (islets of Langerhans)
Endocrine glands and hormones · Biology
Study notes
Type 1 diabetes often strikes in childhood — the immune system destroys insulin-making beta cells, so patients need insulin injections for life (Banting and Best's 1921 discovery turned a death sentence into a manageable condition). Type 2, linked to obesity, is insulin resistance — the body's cells stop listening; exercise and weight loss can reverse early cases.