You Have Severe Hangry Attacks
I know you know what Im talking about! One minute youre not even hungry, and the next you must eat everything in sight. No food? No problem! The closest boyfriends, friends, or colleagues head will suffice. If no foods available, then you might even start to feel shaky, jittery, and faint. Youre experiencing severe blood sugar crashes. These show that your blood glucose isnt stable and is not doing what it should be.
Can Insulin Resistance Be Prevented Or Avoided
You cannot prevent or avoid risk factors such as race, age, and a family medical history. You can take steps to reduce your insulin resistance by losing weight , exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet. Choose healthy carbohydrates. For example, eat whole grain bread instead of white bread, drink water instead of soda, and reduce your intake of sugary foods.
If you have or have had gestational diabetes, insulin resistance typically goes away after you give birth. However, you are at greater risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when you are older. That should be a warning to change your diet and lifestyle early so that you can delay it for as long as possible.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome, or just insulin resistance, is a disease that develops from multiples factors. This disease implies an abnormal localization of the fatty tissue in the body plus its lousy function.
So, why name it metabolic syndrome when it is just an insulin resistance? That is because an isolated insulin resistance could happen, and can be managed. Metabolic syndrome was the name given to the whole miscarriage that occurs to all levels in the body because of it.
Accordingly, metabolic syndrome carries several risk factors for other diseases, such as coronary artery disease, diabetes, fatty liver, and various types of cancer, for just naming some.
Therefore, insulin resistance is the start, but metabolic syndrome is the road, and the complications of it, the end. As you will see further, a person could have insulin resistance and not having a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. This situation exists because metabolic syndrome is a diagnosis that requires several items.
The factors that determine a person to have metabolic syndrome are waist measurement, high blood glucose, blood triglycerides, and blood pressure. On the contrary, insulin resistance determination is based solely on chemical exams that forecast a bad insulin action.
This disease sources on an unhealthy lifestyle. Mostly due to unnecessary high in calories or fatty food, plus being inactive, not exercise at all. Also, some genetic diseases can cause it, although they are not that usual.
Also Check: Healthy A1c Range
Preventing Insulin Resistance Problems
If you have prediabetes, you may be able to prevent the condition from developing into diabetes with these health-promoting behaviors:
- Work toward including exercise as a part of your daily routine, preferably getting in 30 minutes at least 5 days a week.
- Try to eat a nutrient-rich, balanced diet as often as possible.
- If you have overweight, consider losing weight even reducing your body weight by just 7 percent can help lower your risk for developing diabetes.
Making healthier lifestyle choices is the best way to help get your blood glucose levels in the desired range.
Prediabetes And Insulin Resistance Prevention
Increasing your physical activity level and eating a healthful diet play an important role in the prevention of insulin resistance and prediabetes. Studies show that early detection and lifestyle interventions can help prevent and reverse both conditions. While it may seem overwhelming to make huge changes to your lifestyle, you might be relieved to hear that even small daily changes can have a large impact on insulin resistance and prediabetes prevention.
Making attainable goals like exercising for 30 minutes, aiming for eight hours of sleep, or eating an additional serving of fiber-rich vegetables each day are some of the ways to lower blood sugar levels naturally. You can also learn about how to detox from sugar if youre currently eating a lot of added sugars. These are just some of the steps you can take to prevent insulin resistance and prediabetes.
Don’t Miss: What Is A Normal A1c For A Non Diabetic
Can It Be Reduced Or Reversed
Most of the time, yes. However, it will depend on your specific background. Sadly, it is not the same for everyone.
The studies support that some interventions could aid in a significant reduction of prediabetes or diabetes. The most important one is the combination of diet and exercise. After a considerable time of incorporating both of them, patients that reduce their weight, and change its usual food from fatty to high in fiber. It minimizes glucose and fatty molecules blood levels. Therefore, people get a significant reduction in their risk of developing diabetes compared to the ones that do nothing about their situation.
Furthermore, other studies went far beyond explaining the overall impact of lifestyle modification in these people with prediabetes. They compared the effect of lifestyle modifications, metformin , and not doing nothing.
The group with pure exercise and diet prevented even more than the group with the medication the risk of having diabetes. Obviously, both of them were better than doing nothing also. Additionally, for every kilogram of weight loss, it cuts down the risk of having diabetes by nearly a fifth . And these results were accurate even ten years after those interventions.
What Is Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver donât respond well to insulin and canât use glucose from your blood for energy. To make up for it, your pancreas makes more insulin. Over time, your blood sugar levels go up.
Insulin resistance syndrome includes a group of problems like obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. It could affect as many as 1 in 3 Americans. You might also hear it called metabolic syndrome.
Don’t Miss: Can Type 2 Diabetics Donate Blood
Favorite Resource For Diabetes Education
If insulin resistance has led you to be diagnosed with diabetes or you want to be educated if that day comes, enroll in a program led by Joslin Diabetes Center experts. The 12-week Why Wait program is designed to help you meet your weight goals, which could improve your bodys sensitivity to insulin.
Signs Of Insulin Resistance
Most people think about diabetics when they see the word insulin, but problems with insulin can occur in a number of different conditions, in people with normal blood sugar. You have probably heard of insulin resistance; it is a significant health problem because it’s associated with an increased risk of obesity, heart attacks, polycystic ovarian syndrome, cancer and other serious conditions. People with insulin resistance usually have excessively high levels of this hormone, because it doesn’t work properly. We are seeing an increasing number of patients who have been diagnosed with insulin resistance by their own doctor, yet they don’t fully understand what this term means.
How would you know if your insulin level is too high?
There is a blood test that can measure your fasting insulin, but it isn’t always reliable and many doctors are not willing to order this test. This is a shame because elevated insulin is bad for your health and shortens your lifespan.
Insulin has many important roles in your body. People with too much insulin in their bloodstream are said to have insulin resistance, syndrome X, metabolic syndrome or pre-diabetes. They are all interchangeable terms.
Knowing whether or not you have too high insulin is important because it can allow you to make some changes and avoid some serious health problems in the future. Luckily there are several tell tale signs or clues that your body gives you, alerting you to this problem.
The role of insulin in your body
You May Like: Average Lifespan Of Diabetics
How To Treat Insulin Resistance Through Diet
Exercising and eating healthy are the most effective strategies for reversing insulin resistance. Even just a 5% to 10% loss in body weight can help to reverse insulin resistance, says Vatner.
Exercise not only plays an important role in weight management but can also help people with insulin resistance manage blood sugar. A 2016 review found that regular, moderately-intense physical activity like walking or biking for at least 30 minutes, three to five days a week was associated with improved insulin sensitivity as well as blood sugar control.;
Schutta advises starting with a brisk 30- to 45-minute walk several days a week and then working your way up to 150 minutes of weekly moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise.;
Important: Always consult with your physician before starting a new exercise program especially if you’ve been sedentary and/or have any pre-existing conditions ¸to avoid injury.;
Diet also plays a crucial role in managing and reversing insulin resistance. If you have insulin resistance, physicians may suggest you follow the Mediterranean diet, a plant-based diet, or a low-carb diet, like the Atkins diet.;
In general, Schutta recommends limiting your intake of:
Schutta also recommends eating more:
Vatner says insulin-resistant patients with co-occurring conditions may be prescribed the following medications:
How Is Insulin Resistance Prevented And Treated
Losing weight, getting regular exercise, and getting enough quality sleep can all help improve insulin sensitivity. Physical activity and weight loss help the body respond better to insulin. The Diabetes Prevention Program and other large studies proved that people with prediabetes can often prevent or delay diabetes if they lose a modest amount of weight by cutting fat and calorie intake and increasing physical activityfor example, walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Although weight loss is not easy, its possible. The experts at Ogden Clinic Medical Weight Loss have the tools and training to help you lose weight and keep it off. Learn more about Medical Weight Loss at Ogden Clinic by visiting utahmedicalweightloss.com, or give our Layton office a call at .
You May Like: How To Mix Nph And Regular Insulin
What Are Signs And Symptoms Of Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are early warning indicators of being at risk for developing pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance can also be an indication of another underlying disease or disorder such as Addisons disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome , Cushings Syndrome, or thyroid problems like Hashimotos thyroiditis. If you have any of those medical conditions, you could also suffer from insulin resistance.
A person that is insulin resistant often has elevated fasting blood glucose levels, but some patients with insulin resistance may have normal blood glucose , and might even pass an oral glucose tolerance test . In fact, some people with insulin resistance may experience rapid changes in blood sugar and even suffer from bouts of hypoglycemia . But in order to maintain normal glucose levels, a person who is insulin resistant will over produce insulin. When insulin levels are elevated it is called hyperinsulinemia.
Warning Signs Of Insulin Resistance Everyone Should Be Aware Of
You might not be losing weight because of insulin resistance. When your muscles, fat, and liver cells are not responding properly to insulin, glucose absorption from the bloodstream becomes compromised. For glucose to enter into the cells, your body demands higher levels of insulin. We will look at top pointers of insulin resistance that may be holding back your weight loss goals.
Don’t Miss: How Does Diet Soda Affect Blood Sugar
What Can You Do About It
While it may not be possible to defeat insulin resistance entirely, there are ways to make the bodys cells more receptive to insulin.
- Getting active is probably the best way to combat insulin resistance. Exercise can dramatically reduce insulin resistance in both the short and long terms. In addition to making the body more sensitive to insulin and building muscle that can absorb blood glucose, physical activity opens up an alternate gateway for glucose to enter muscle cells without insulin acting as an intermediary, reducing the cells’ dependence on insulin for energy. While this doesn’t reduce insulin resistance itself, it can help people who are insulin resistant improve their blood sugar control.
- Weight loss can also cut down on insulin resistance. No single diet has been proved to be the most effective. Some evidence suggests, though, that eating foods that are low in fat and high in carbohydrates can worsen insulin resistance. Research has also shown that people who undergo weight-loss surgery are likely to become significantly more sensitive to insulin.
- No medications are specifically approved to treat insulin resistance. Yet diabetes medications like metformin and thiazolidinediones, or TZDs, are insulin sensitizers that lower blood sugar, at least in part, by reducing insulin resistance.
How Can I Prevent Or Reverse Insulin Resistance And Prediabetes
Physical activity and losing weight if you need to may help your body respond better to insulin. Taking small steps, such as eating healthier foods and moving more to lose weight, can help reverse insulin resistance and prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes.
The National Institutes of Health-funded research study, the Diabetes Prevention Program , showed that for people at high risk of developing diabetes, losing 5 to 7 percent of their starting weight helped reduce their chance of developing the disease.3 Thats 10 to 14 pounds for someone who weighs 200 pounds. People in the study lost weight by changing their diet and being more physically active.
The DPP also showed that taking metformin, a medicine used to treat diabetes, could delay diabetes. Metformin worked best for women with a history of gestational diabetes, younger adults, and people with obesity. Ask your doctor if metformin might be right for you.
Making a plan, tracking your progress, and getting support from your health care professional, family, and friends can help you make lifestyle changes that may prevent or reverse insulin resistance and prediabetes. You may be able to take part in a lifestyle change program as part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
Read Also: How Many Points Does Metformin Lower Blood Sugar
What Is The Treatment For Insulin Resistance Or Metabolic Syndrome
For insulin resistance syndrome alone, exercise, dietary modifications, and medications, solely or in combination, are great for reducing the risk of its progression. The list includes:
- Weight loss : It should be around seven to 10 percent of the total body weightsimilarly, a decrease in the waist circumference measure.
- Physical activity: The recommendation is 30 to 60 minutes daily for at least five days a week. The exercise could be as intense as brisk walking.
- Diet composition: The fatty food should only compose 25% of the whole diet, and avoid trans fat and simple sugar food most as possible.
- Medication: Metformin is a great resource here, whenever possible. However, there are a lot more.
Sadly, in medicine, 1+1 is not always 2. The specific requirements of every patient will come to light when a doctor assess its situation.
Furthermore, patients with diabetes may need insulin therapy to fulfill their bodys insulin requirements. Sometimes it is enough with medication that facilitates insulin production or function to downplay glucose levels. And, sometimes not, for that, there is insulin medication, which will do the job of decreasing blood glucose and possible complications.
What Causes Insulin Resistance
Obesity;, an inactive lifestyle, and a;diet;high in;carbohydrates;are the primary causes of insulin resistance. Some women develop insulin resistance while they are pregnant. This is called;gestational diabetes. Certain diseases are associated with insulin resistance. That includes;heart;disease,;nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and polycystic;ovary;syndrome.
Certain risk factors are associated with insulin resistance, including:
- A family history of;diabetes
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Race
- Age
- Hormones
- Smoking
Read Also: Diabetic Macaroni And Cheese
Ways To Combat Menopausal Weight Gain Due To Insulin Resistance
Many women find that they gain weight sometimes a significant amount during menopause.; And, to make matters worse, their old tried and true ways of getting the weight off simply dont work.
There are many theories regarding the causes of weight gain at menopause.; Its a complex issue that includes a combination of poor diet sedentary lifestyle, stress, and many other factors.; But, the truth is, whatever the underlying cause, insulin resistance is the primary driver of menopausal weight gain. And, the key to reversing it and achieving lasting weight loss is to keep insulin levels low.
Now, to be clear, menopause does not cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the result of overall poor hormonal health. If you are struggling with post-menopausal insulin resistance and weight gain here are some additional recommendations:
Have you ever been diagnosed with insulin resistance?; What have you done to reverse it?
Additional Resources from Dr. Northrup
How To Test For Insulin Resistance
If you have any the above symptoms, its a good idea to experiment with changing your eating habits and see how you improve. However, if you want to confirm if you have insulin resistance, we can find out via a blood test. A fasting blood glucose and insulin is ordered. Then, we use this link to enter your lab values and get the results. It will estimate if you have early or significant insulin resistance. This is called the HOMA-IR ratio.
If your HOMA-IR ratio is elevated, its time to seriously think about how your can start changing the way you eat so you can protect your health long term and prevent chronic illness.
Also Check: Donate Blood Diabetic