What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin is a hormone produced by the body to help the cells in the body to use the sugar  in the blood for longer.

Think of insulin as a master hormone, that decides what to do with the food we eat.When you eat food, insulin is released by the pancreas to help the cells breakdown the sugar in the food to be used as energy for the body. The problem begins when we start eating refined foods regularly, which release a lot of sugar consistently into the blood. Due to this, the pancreas keep releasing insulin regularly to control the sugar levels in the blood. Since this happens almost everyday, after a point of time the cells in the body stop responding to Insulin completely!

Why Insulin Resistance Matters!

In India, insulin resistance is becoming increasingly common, which according to a recent study is currently more than 30 percent of all adults! And if you are overweight and over 45, the chances that you have it are nearly one in two (a staggering 50%!!).

Typically, being overweight and having a sedentary lifestyle are associated with an increased risk of Insulin Resistance, however new research signals that it may actually be insulin resistance that leads to obesity!

If you have insulin resistance, your blood sugar levels may still be normal, although they may be on the high side after meals. You don’t have diabetes — yet. But you are going in a direction that’s putting a lot of stress on your blood sugar control system, and you’re doing some damage along the way.

The extra insulin your body has to churn out can raise blood pressure, cause cholesterol problems, and even make it easier for certain cancers to grow. It also paves the way for weight gain. And here’s a real scare: There’s growing evidence that the brain itself can become insulin resistant, which impairs the function of nerves and leads to the buildup of toxic deposits, increasing the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

And of course, insulin resistance increases the risk of diabetes. High blood sugar and extra insulin can damage the beta cells in the pancreas — the ones that make insulin — so they become fatigued or die off. When that happens, you have diabetes. To make matters worse, insulin is commonly prescribed for a very high number of Diabetes 2 cases. This excess insulin not only makes the diabetes worse, but also contributes to health problems mentioned above!

Insulin resistance starts slowly, furtively, silently. It has no symptoms. But once you develop it, it’s easier to become even more insulin resistant. In a vicious cycle, the more insulin your body has to produce to keep blood sugar down, the more insulin resistant you become — unless you do something to reverse the trend. Fortunately, changing your eating style is one of the biggest keys to preventing or reversing the condition!

To know more, get your fasting insulin levels checked today! They are the best measure to tell whether you are insulin resistant or not. Go to your nearest diagnostic lab and ask for a ‘fasting insulin test’.

To understand how to reverse your insulin resistance, get in touch with us today!