Insulin has several metabolic effects including increasing carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. It stimulates glucose uptake and storage, increases lipogenesis and decreases lipolysis, and stimulates protein synthesis while inhibiting proteolysis. Insulin also plays a role in cell growth and development through anabolic actions and stimulation of growth factors. It increases potassium uptake into cells and has ion transport effects. The overall metabolic impact of increased insulin is decreased blood glucose, amino acids, free fatty acids, and ketoacids along with increased glucose, fatty acid, and amino acid transport and stimulation of cell growth, differentiation, and macromolecule synthesis.