One in three Americans—including half of those age 60 and older— have a silent blood sugar problem known as insulin resistance, also known as impaired insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance increases the risk for pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and a host of other serious health problems, including heart attacks, strokes2 and cancer. 1) The liver is the great regulator of the body. It performs approximately 500 functions; but, its’ major function is to regulate the levels of chemicals in our blood. 2) The liver processes this blood and breaks down, balances, and creates the nutrients and also metabolizes drugs into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body or that are nontoxic. When the liver has broken down harmful substances, its’ by-products are excreted into the bile or blood. Bile helps to rid our bodies of waste products through our feces.
The liver also pushes insulin through our blood system. Insulin works to move glucose through our system; and. assists glucose to enter every cell in our bodies. Glucose is the fuel created in the stomach by breaking down the food that we eat. Glucose is sugar. And, our bodies use sugar to function; even our brains. But, excess levels of sugar can and do occur; and, when that happens, insulin’s job is to lower glucose levels by returning it to the liver, to be converted to glycogen. Glycogen is stored energy which can be converted back into glucose if needed. If excess glucose levels continue to be a problem, a condition known as insulin resistance (IR) can occur.
What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, body fat and liver start resisting or ignoring the signal that the hormone insulin is trying to send out—which is to grab glucose out of the bloodstream and put it into our cells.
Insulin resistance occurs when excess glucose in the blood reduces the ability of the cells to absorb and use blood sugar for energy. This increases the risk of developing pre-diabetes; and, eventually, type 2 diabetes. If the pancreas can make enough insulin to overcome the low rate of absorption, diabetes is less likely to develop, and blood glucose will stay within a healthy range.3)
While genetics, aging and ethnicity play roles in developing insulin sensitivity, the major forces creating insulin resistance include obesity, too much belly fat, a history of over eating carbohydrates, steroid use, a lack of exercise, smoking, and even skimping on sleep.4)
My wife is a volunteer driver for Meals On Wheels. A few years ago, a new person was added to her list of recipients. Jeff was on prescription medications for Type 2 diabetes. He was also carrying more weight than his doctors wanted. He made the decision that he would do a complete revision of his eating plan. He would prepare his own oatmeal for breakfast; and, he would eat the other two meals each day from Meals On Wheels. He also began a program of walking daily. Those were his only lifestyle changes. Almost two years later, he informed my wife that his doctors had taken him off the medications. He had lost almost 60 pounds and was no longer diabetic. The combination of daily exercise and eating only dietician designed meals had brought him back to health!
How Does Insulin Resistance Become Diabetes?
In a person with pre-diabetes, the pancreas works increasingly hard to release enough insulin to overcome the body’s resistance and keep blood sugar levels down. Over time, sometimes years, the pancreas’ ability to release insulin may begin to decrease, which leads to the development of type 2 diabetes. 5)
Insulin usually helps the body maintain a good balance of energy, never allowing the level of blood glucose to spike for too long. When glucose levels rise, insulin levels also rise to cause glucose to recede.
The causes of insulin resistance remain complex, and researchers continue to investigate. The following steps outline the medical community’s current understanding of insulin resistance:
- The body’s cells become less affected by insulin.
- This resistance initially causes the pancreas to secrete more insulin, in order to maintain safe blood sugar levels.
- The pancreas becomes unable to maintain the release of extra insulin to compensate for the cells’ increasing resistance.
- Consistently high levels of blood glucose develop, progressing into pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes if a person does not adopt management strategies and receive treatment.
Signs of Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance does not usually present symptoms until diabetes develops. The Center For Disease Control reports that 90 percent of people with pre-diabetes are not aware that they have the condition.
Some signs of insulin resistance include:
- A waistline over 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women.
- Blood pressure readings of 130/80 or higher.
- A fasting glucose level over 100 mg/dL.
- A fasting triglyceride level over 150 mg/dL.
- A HDL cholesterol level under 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women. 6 )
How To Reverse Insulin Resistance
Because some of these risk factors are widespread and may be avoidable, such as obesity, health authorities are increasing their focus on lifestyle measures that can help reduce the risk of the disease.
While it is not possible to influence some risk factors for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, such as family history and genetic makeup. A person can, however, take some steps to reduce the chances of becoming insulin resistant. Some of the same strategies are key to preventing heart disease and stroke.
A. Exercise Regularly
Muscles become more sensitive to insulin after exercise, and a person can reverse insulin resistance with an active, healthful lifestyle. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week for adults. Just put on some comfortable shoes and walk down to the end of your block after dinner.
Starting with a small change — like walking for 15 minutes after each meal — can improve blood sugar levels and will also add up quickly to 45 minutes of exercise per day, or 315 minutes per week!
In addition to aerobic exercise, as we age we need to do some resistance exercise too, like resistance bands or weights for the most effectiveness. Our bodies lose muscle mass, increasingly, every year – especially as we age.
If you’re new to exercise; or. If it has been awhile since maintaining a fitness program, it’s always a good idea to check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise regimen.
B. Achieve And Maintain A Healthy Weight
Working to achieve and maintaining a healthy weight by increasing your activity levels and following an insulin resistance diet is an effective way to prevent or improve insulin resistance. Every small change helps! A weight loss of 7 percent of your current body weight can help prevent pre-diabetes from developing into type 2 diabetes. If you weigh 225 lbs., even a 16 pound weight loss can make a large health difference.
You do not need special foods for the insulin-resistance diet. Basically, you’ll eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish (preferably wild caught), and lean poultry. You will also cut back on unhealthy fats, sugar, meats, and processed starches. For fats, think extra virgin olive oil and monosaturated fats such as avocados. If you drink sodas, you need to reduce or eliminate the number of drinks daily. And, the diet sodas need to be eliminated completely.
But it can be hard to change habits. So keep some simple tips in mind before you start.
Adopt healthy habits. Be sensible. Crash diets are designed to fail. This is about changing your approach to food. Go slowly and build new habits that can become permanent.
Make it work for you. A diet needs to fit your taste buds and your lifestyle for you to stick with it. Most people need support along the way, so a good dietitian can be a big ally. Ask your doctor if he will give you a referral for a dietician. If so, there is a good chance that your medical insurance provider will cover the expense. 7)
Do not skip meals. Many people think that missing a meal means fewer calories resulting in more weight loss. That just makes your insulin and blood sugar levels swing up and down. And that can lead to more belly fat, which makes your body more likely to resist insulin.
There is no magic food that will fix everything, so vary what you eat. When you have a choice, choose the food with more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
While a diagnosis of insulin resistance or prediabetes might cause alarm, making rushed lifestyle changes and expecting immediate results is not a sustainable way to proceed.
Instead, increase levels of physical activity gradually, replace one item per meal with a healthful, low-carbohydrate option, and be sure to keep this up, week after week.
- https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/type-2-diabetes/insulin-resistance-causes-symptoms.
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/liver-anatomy-and-functions.
- https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes-and-pancreas#types-of-diabetes.
- National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance. August 9, 2009. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/types/prediabetes-insulin-resistance.
- https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/insulin-resistance-syndrome.
- https://agamatrix.com/blog/insulin-resistance-diet.
- https://www.tfwinsurance.com/2015/03/02/how-to-get-your-health-insurance-to-pay-for-nutrition-counselingC
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