The Artificial Pancreas and Meal Control: An Overview of Postprandial Glucose Regulation in Type 1 Diabetes

In healthy individuals, plasma glucose concentration is tightly regulated by the action of the hormones secreted by the endocrine pancreas, principally, insulin and glucagon. Insulin is secreted by the pancreatic beta cells to signal organs to absorb glucose, and glucagon is secreted by the pancreatic alpha cells to signal the liver to produce glucose. In type 1 diabetes (T1D), insulin secretion is lost due to the autoimmune destruction of the beta cells. T1D accounts for 5-15% of the 366 million people with diabetes worldwide.