“Insulin is produced by the pancreas. It’s an essential hormone that’s used by our body to absorb glucose and utilize that, and store it as fats or essential lipids. The reason why insulin is important is because it’s used for more than just glucose control – it’s also used for cholesterol metabolism. Insulin actually allows us to convert cholesterol into various components of cholesterol, such as the good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, which eventually are used by the body for essential metabolic processes. Insulin is produced by a component of the pancreas called the beta islet cells. The other core portions of the pancreas are really utilized for a digestive function, so insulin is essential in that regard. When somebody has diabetes, it’s because either they don’t manufacture enough insulin from those cells, or it’s because the body becomes relatively resistant to the insulin their pancreas already makes.”
Make an appointment with Berestrand Williams, MD, FAAP
Berestrand Williams, MD, FAAP is a board certified primary care doctor at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients of all ages Monday – Friday. Trained in Connecticut and Massachusetts, he is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians.
After majoring in Biology and graduating with honors from Harvard University, he was awarded his medical degree from the University of Connecticut’s School of Medicine and completed two residencies – one in Internal Medicine at Boston University’s Boston City Hospital and another in Pediatrics at the combined Boston University School of Medicine – Harvard Pediatric Residency Program.
Prior to joining Mount Sinai Doctors, he practiced at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center for nine years and then served as Chief of Primary Care at Concentra Urgent Care and Family Medicine Center. He has been nationally recognized, receiving the Surgical Scholars Award in 1987 and the AOL Foundation Grant: Franciscan Children’s Hospital in 2001. Dr. Williams is fluent in Spanish.