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Islet cells make up only one to two percent of the pancreas and are scattered throughout this organ. Scientists estimate there are approximately 1 million islets in a pancreas.
Islets are clusters of cells that are made up of different cell types, one of which is the beta cell.
Beta cells are cells that sense sugar in the blood and release the necessary amount of insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys these cells, and the body can no longer produce insulin, the hormone required to convert food into energy for the body’s cells.
The rest of the pancreas continues to function normally, producing digestive enzymes.
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