Insulin Resistance – What to Do to Prevent and Control This Endocrine Condition

The human body functions based on many systems and apparatuses that develop naturally. While bones, muscles, blood, and organs are recognized as very important, there are other systems that are often overlooked. Among these, a highly important system is the endocrine system.

This system is represented by all organs that secrete and excrete hormones, chemical particles responsible for numerous physiological processes. At the same time, these compounds are involved in metabolic processes that support the proper functioning of the body. Insulin is one of these hormones without which the human body could no longer be the same. Next, we will delve deeper into the topic of insulin, explaining in detail the principles of resistance to this hormone and its implications.

What does the term “insulin resistance” refer to?

Insulin resistance is a sign that appears when cells in the muscles, fat, and liver do not respond properly. Insulin is a hormone that our pancreas produces and is essential for life. At the same time, it is also important for regulating blood glucose (sugar) levels. Early or delayed insulin resistance (which appears at an advanced age) is known to date. Also, resistance can be transient, temporary, or permanent.

Physiologically, the process followed by insulin involves the following steps:

Our body breaks down the food we eat into glucose (sugar), which is the body’s primary energy source. Glucose enters the bloodstream, signaling the pancreas to release insulin.

The hormone helps blood glucose enter muscle, fat, and liver cells. Thus, the cells will be able to use it for energy or store it for later use. When glucose enters our cells and blood levels decrease, it signals the pancreas to stop producing insulin.

What process causes the appearance of insulin resistance symptoms?

For various reasons, muscle, fat, and liver cells may respond inadequately to insulin. This means they cannot efficiently take glucose from the blood or store it properly. In reality, this deviation from the physiological process indicates insulin resistance. As a result, the pancreas produces more insulin to try to overcome the increased blood glucose levels. The latter process is known as hyperinsulinemia.

What can we do to reduce insulin resistance?

One option we can try is a blend of natural products. Bitter melon, Gymnema Sylvestre, Cinnamon, Aronia, Blueberry, Banaba, and Fenugreek in the composition of Premium Gluco-Diabet Formula can help us fight insulin resistance. With just one bottle of 120 capsules, we can start an insulin resistance regimen for a month.

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The natural product increases cell sensitivity to insulin action and facilitates its processing. In this way, the natural formula regulates blood sugar and ensures optimal sugar levels in the blood. Moreover, it prevents the onset of diabetes and complications associated with metabolic diseases.

What is the link between insulin resistance symptoms and major metabolic diseases?

As long as the pancreas produces insulin to overcome the poor cell response, blood sugar levels will remain healthy. If our cells become insulin resistant, this leads to increased blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia). This, over time, leads to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

In addition to type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance is associated with several other conditions, including:

• Obesity;
• Cardiovascular disease;
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease;
• Metabolic syndrome;
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

What is the difference between insulin resistance and diabetes?

Anyone can develop insulin resistance – temporarily or chronically. Over time, chronic insulin resistance can lead to prediabetes and then to type 2 diabetes. Of course, this is true if left untreated.

Prediabetes occurs when the level of glucose found in the blood is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes usually occurs in people who already have some degree of insulin resistance.

Prediabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes. This pathology occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body does not use it properly (insulin resistance). Thus, high blood glucose levels result.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas for an unknown reason. It is an autoimmune and chronic disease. People with type 1 diabetes must inject synthetic insulin to live and be healthy.

Gestational diabetes is a temporary form of diabetes that can occur during pregnancy. It is caused by insulin resistance, which is due to the hormones produced by the placenta. It disappears once the baby is born.

Doctors can detect any signs of diabetes early on. An effective method is blood testing for a parameter called glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). This shows the average blood sugar level over the last three months. Generally:

• An A1c level below 5.7% is considered normal.
• An A1c level between 5.7% and 6.4% is considered prediabetes.
• An A1c level of 6.5% or higher on two separate tests indicates type 2 diabetes.

People with type 1 diabetes usually have very high A1C levels. They also have very high blood glucose levels at diagnosis. In these cases, their pancreas produces very little or no insulin.

What are the causes and risk factors that can make us insulin resistant?

Insulin resistance can be caused by a multitude of factors. The two main factors that seem to contribute to insulin resistance are excess body fat and lack of physical activity.

People with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes usually have some level of insulin resistance. People with type 1 diabetes can also experience insulin resistance.

How common is insulin resistance?

It is difficult to provide statistics. There are no tests to check for insulin resistance, nor symptoms until it progresses to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The best way to measure the prevalence of insulin resistance is through the number of prediabetes cases. Over 84 million adults in the United States have prediabetes. This number indicates approximately 1 in 3 adults.

How does insulin resistance affect our body?

The development of insulin resistance usually increases insulin production (hyperinsulinemia). In this way, our body can maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Increased insulin levels can lead to weight gain, which in turn worsens insulin resistance.

Hyperinsulinemia is also associated with the following conditions:

• Higher triglyceride levels;
• Narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis);
• High blood pressure.

Insulin resistance is also the main characteristic of metabolic syndrome. This refers to a set of elements that include excess abdominal fat and insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome is also linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Among the defining characteristics of metabolic syndrome are:

• Increased blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia);
• An increased triglyceride level;
• Low levels of good cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoproteins);
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• It is important to remember that a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome can be made even if only one sign is present.

What are the causes of insulin resistance?

Scientists still have much to discover about how insulin resistance develops. So far, they have identified several genes that can cause a person to develop insulin resistance. Additionally, older people are more predisposed to this problem.

Acquired causes of insulin resistance

Excess body fat: especially abdominal fat and visceral fat, is a major cause of insulin resistance. Studies have shown that abdominal fat produces hormones and other substances that can contribute to long-term inflammation in the body. This inflammation can play a role in insulin resistance.

1. Sedentary lifestyle: Physical activity makes the body more sensitive to insulin and builds muscles that can absorb glucose from the blood. Lack of physical activity can have the opposite effects and cause insulin resistance. In addition, lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle are associated with weight gain, which can also contribute to insulin resistance.
2. Diet: Highly processed foods, rich in carbohydrates and saturated fats, are associated with insulin resistance. Our body digests highly processed, carbohydrate-rich foods very quickly, leading to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. This puts extra stress on the pancreas to produce insulin, which can lead to insulin resistance.
3. Certain medications: Certain medications can cause insulin resistance. These include steroids, blood pressure medications, HIV treatments, and some psychiatric drugs.

Hormonal disorders that can cause insulin resistance

Problems with certain hormones can affect how well the body uses insulin. Hormonal disorders that can cause insulin resistance include:

• Cushing’s Syndrome: This condition occurs when there is excess cortisol in our body. Cortisol, the “stress hormone,” is vital for regulating blood sugar levels (by increasing them) and converting food into energy. Excess cortisol can counteract the effects of insulin, causing insulin resistance.
• Acromegaly: This is a rare but serious condition that happens when there are high levels of growth hormone (GH). High GH levels can lead to increased glucose production, which can lead to insulin resistance.
• Hypothyroidism: This condition occurs when the thyroid is affected and cannot produce enough thyroid hormones. The thyroid plays an important role in regulating metabolism (how the body converts food we eat into energy). When too little thyroid hormone is produced, it slows down metabolism, including glucose metabolism, which can lead to insulin resistance.

What are the recommendations and foods that reduce insulin resistance?

Our diet has a significant impact on blood sugar and insulin levels. Highly processed foods, rich in carbohydrates and fats, require more insulin to be processed.

Consuming low glycemic index foods can help us correct insulin resistance. Eating fiber-rich foods also helps regulate blood sugar levels. This is because the body takes longer to digest fiber, and blood sugar levels do not rise as much.

The glycemic index (GI) is a parameter that classifies carbohydrate-containing foods based on how much they affect blood sugar.

High GI foods generally have a lot of carbohydrates and/or sugar and a low or no fiber content. Low GI foods generally have low amounts of carbohydrates and higher amounts of fiber.

Examples of high GI foods:

• White bread;
• Potatoes;
• Cereals generally consumed for breakfast;
• Cakes and sweets;
• Fruits such as watermelon and dates.

Examples of low GI foods:

• Beans and legumes;
• Fruits such as apples and berries;
• Non-starchy vegetables, such as asparagus, cauliflower, and leafy greens;
• Nuts;
• Dairy products, fish, and meat.

We must not forget that any lifestyle change must be discussed with our doctor. Only they can guide us towards the right decisions and help us feel better. Insulin resistance is a very common problem, but it can be easily controlled!

References:

1. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
2. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/insulin-resistance.html
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507839/
4. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/insulin-resistance-syndrome
5. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/multimedia/vid-20536756

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