What is Insulin?

Insulin is a vital hormone in the body that helps regulate blood sugar levels. When you eat food, your body converts carbs into glucose (sugar) that goes into the bloodstream. The pancreas responds by secreting insulin, which assists with bringing this glucose into your cells, especially into muscles, fat, and the liver to utilize as energy or store for future use. It helps in maintaining normal blood sugar levels and keeps them from experiencing hazardous spikes or drops.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance is when the cells of the body are no longer responding to insulin. This results in glucose not being able to enter the cells, so the pancreas secretes more insulin to make up for this. Although this can maintain normal blood sugar levels for a while, overproduction of insulin will ultimately cause high blood sugar levels, which can then advance to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes if not treated.

What leads to Insulin Resistance?

While scientists continue to discover the specific causes of insulin resistance, they have determined that there are several factors that contribute to it:

1. Overweight and Obesity: The greatest risk factor for insulin resistance is having too much body fat, especially around the waist. Visceral fat creates hormones and inflammatory chemicals that will disrupt insulin from functioning. A waistline size of 40 inches or wider in men and 35 inches or wider in women is associated with increased insulin resistance, regardless of the BMI considered to be normal.
2. Physical Inactivity: A sedentary lifestyle leads to insulin resistance. Exercise regularly enhances insulin sensitivity through the ability of muscles to utilize glucose better. When the body is not active, glucose builds up in the blood, and the pancreas has to secrete more insulin to match the demand.
3. Poor Diet Choices: Diets rich in processed foods, refined carbs, and added sugar can overwhelm the body's systems to control blood sugar, developing insulin resistance. Some of these foods include:

• Sugary drinks and carbonated beverages
•  Processed baked treats and snacks
•  High-fructose corn syrup
•  Fast food and fried foods
• Overindulgence in white bread and pasta

4. Stress and Sleep Disturbances: Chronic stress and irregular sleep patterns may raise cortisol levels, which disrupts insulin function. Sleep deprivation also decreases insulin sensitivity, that is why it becomes difficult for the body to regulate glucose.  A regular sleep schedule and stress management methods such as meditation, exercise, and relaxation activities can help counteract this effect.
5. Smoking and Alcohol Consumption: Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption have been associated with insulin resistance. Nicotine and alcohol increase inflammation and alter metabolic function, making it more difficult for insulin to function optimally. Check out this blog on How does Alcohol Interact with Liver Health, to understand this point better.

Symptoms of Insulin Resistance

In most cases, individuals with insulin resistance or prediabetes will not feel symptoms. Some warning signs might signal a problem:

1. Thirst and More Urination: When the blood sugar is high, the kidneys have to work harder to filter and get rid of the excess glucose, resulting in frequent urination. This also causes dehydration, which makes you always thirsty.
2. Excessive Hunger: Even after regular meals, individuals with insulin resistance constantly feel hungry. This is due to cells failing to take in glucose properly, resulting in a lack of energy and enhanced hunger, particularly for carbohydrates and sweets.
3. Fatigue and Lethargy After Eating: Being extremely fatigued or lethargic after a meal, particularly after carbohydrate consumption, could be an indication that your body is not able to control blood sugar levels properly.
4. Sweet Cravings After Lunch or Dinner: Having a sudden craving for something sweet directly after a meal could be a sign of blood sugar swings due to insulin resistance. The body needs sugar to quickly stabilize energy levels.
5. Acanthosis Nigricans (Darkened Patches of Skin): Some people get dark, velvety skin patches, typically on the neck, armpits, and groin. This is called acanthosis nigricans, an early sign of insulin resistance.
6. Skin Tags: Most people with insulin resistance get small, harmless skin growths called skin tags, especially in skin folds.
7. Unexplained Weight Gain: Even when placed on a restricted diet, weight loss becomes more difficult because of insulin resistance. This is a result of the inability of the body to properly utilize glucose, thus accumulating too much fat.

Long-Term Consequences of Insulin Resistance

Unattended insulin resistance has more severe long-term effects that include:

1. Type 2 Diabetes – Continuous insulin resistance has a direct consequence on increasing blood sugar levels to perilous points, which ultimately leads to diabetes. Click here to check the best diet for diabetics.
2. Heart Diseases – Insulin resistance is linked with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease risk.
3. Fatty Liver Disease – Too much fat in the liver can cause inflammation and liver damage.
4. Metabolic Syndrome – A group of conditions, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, that raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

How to Prevent and Manage Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is treatable, and in most instances, reversible with lifestyle modification. Here's what you can do:-

Eat a Healthy Diet: A diet composed of whole, unprocessed foods can greatly enhance insulin sensitivity. Consider adding:

• Lean proteins (chicken & fish)
•  High-fiber foods (vegetables, legumes, whole grains)
•  Healthy fats (ghee & butter)
• Low-glycemic index foods (berries & quinoa)

Stay away from refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and trans fats, which aggravate insulin resistance.

Exercise daily: Exercise helps maintain insulin sensitivity. Aerobic exercise (brisk walking, jogging and cycling) and resistance exercise (weightlifting, bodybuilding) help muscle cells uptake glucose better.

Control Stress and Sleep Quality: Practicing stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing can improve insulin function. Additionally, aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support metabolic health.

Quit Alcohol and Smoking: Quitting alcohol and smoking can reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity over time.

Regular Health Checkups: Monitoring your blood sugar levels through routine checkups can help detect insulin resistance early, allowing for proactive intervention.

Conclusion

Insulin resistance is a quiet disease that has serious long-term health effects if it's not treated. But by taking a healthier lifestyle, being active, and eating diligently, you can take away most of your risk and feel better overall. If you're wondering if you have insulin resistance or have already been detected with insulin resistance and want the right support, Book a free consultation with iThrive. At iThrive, we aim to reverse chronic diseases by treating the root causes of health issues and suggesting personalised and long-lasting solutions.