Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is when the body becomes less sensitive to the insulin released into the blood. This results in an increase in blood glucose which leads to a further increase in insulin production which leads to increased insulin resistance.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Your body isn't designed to cope with large amounts of glucose on a regular basis. Unfortunately the modern western diet provides unhealthy large doses of glucose to the blood on a very regular basis from quickly digested carbohydrates in processed and junk foods (See Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load) and from glucose added to sweeten drinks. The surges of glucose in the blood produce surges of insulin, and the cells which are sensitive to insulin begin to become less sensitive and don't respond so well to removing glucose from the blood. This is called insulin resistance and leads to a higher level of glucose in the blood, which then causes the pancreas to produce even more insulin, and so the vicious circle begins.

Insulin resistance is the first step towards diabetes because your blood sugar level starts to rise above the normal level. This is where your poor health decisions start to get their own back on you. Insulin also stimulates your fat cells store more of the glucose as fat and so insulin resistance causes you to gain weight.

Metabolic Syndrome is the next stage before diabetes is diagnosed.  The vicious circle of insulin resistance causes ever increasing levels of blood glucose and insulin, which have other effects on the body causing other body processed to start going wrong. The most noticeable problem is a fat stomach, but the hidden problems include high blood pressure and high cholesterol (To be more precise high LDL, low HDL and high triglycerides). It is estimated that a quarter of American adults have metabolic syndrome, and the UK isn't far behind. Metabolic syndrome makes all of your body systems unhealthier, and you are at greater risk of developing a whole range of illnesses which can disable you or kill you. Metabolic syndrome is reversible in most cases if a very concentrated effort is made to engage in a healthy lifestyle, but the longer it lasts and the worse it gets, then the harder it is to reverse the problems. Early action is the answer.

Type 2 diabetes is the final stage of insulin resistance where your blood glucose level reaches a dangerous level, and can reach the level where it is excreted in your urine.

Exercise and weight loss can reverse insulin resistance, but the further it has progressed the harder it is to reverse and the more effort you will need to put into reversing it.