Science Daily reports that a research team in Taiwan has come up with a successful way of administering insulin orally. Their approach is to encase the insulin in a shell composed of a polymer found in the shells of shrimp. Once the nanoparticle passes through the stomach, it is apparently absorbed in the small intestine. What I didn't understand from this news blurb is how the insulin is actually released once it passes through the stomach.
I imagine that this would be a boon for type 2 diabetics, especially, and possibly type 1's who use multiple daily injections or for young kids with type 1; however, I would not discontinue using my pump in order to take insulin orally. I just can't see how I would be able to achieve the same level of control. For me, the convenience of a pump is that it takes care of my basal insulin needs without me having to think about it, and I can administer a bolus by the press of a couple buttons without having to pull out a needle or a pill. And besides, I can hardly remember to take a vitamin pill, let alone multiple daily pills of insulin.
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