Q. Can we take insulin orally?

You all know that people who suffer from diabetes require insulin dose. You also know that insulin is injected and not orally taken. Have you ever thought why it is not possible to take insulin orally? Well, the answer is very simple – insulin is a protein and if a person takes it orally, insulin will first enter into the mouth, oesophagus and stomach. Inside the stomach, the environment is highly acidic and in that acidic condition, gastric glands secrete protein digesting enzyme Pepsin. So, once insulin will reach stomach, it will be degraded into small polypeptides. Further digestion will take place in the small intestine by protein digesting enzymes such as trypsin and carboxypeptidase, etc.