Insulin Resistance is considered as one of the factors that lead to the diabetes. Learn more about the insulin resistance, what causes it, and how it affects the health.
From opening a chip pack to how energy packets reach every cell of your body, the protagonist of the blood sugar management system is a pancreatic hormone named insulin. Insulin helps cells like muscles, adipose tissues, liver cells, and several other tissues to take up glucose from the blood and use it as energy to carry out cellular processes. The remaining extra glucose which the body couldn’t use at that time is stored in the form of glycogen in muscle and liver cells and as fats in adipose cells. Consider If you have to do interstate travel, you can’t just walk, your travel needs to be assisted by a vehicle and toll pass. Similarly, glucose can’t enter the cell directly; it needs to be transported by some facilitator. The transport of glucose into cells and tissues is a highly regulated process, mediated by a family of facilitative glucose transporters (GLUTs)(1). So, insulin doesn’t directly push glucose into cells, rather it regulates those glucose transporters who can get the job done. Insulin increases glucose uptake mainly by enriching the concentration of Glut4 proteins at the plasma membrane(2). (Refer to the figure below for the diagrammatic representation of the concept)
But sometimes the cells show reduced to null response to insulin i.e. they develop resistance to it. This condition is known as “Insulin Resistance''. The absence of blood glucose uptake increases blood glucose levels, which can ultimately lead you to sustained elevated blood glucose or Type 2 diabetes. The good part is you can reverse this condition but on the other hand, it develops insidiously that there is always a level of uncertainty associated with its diagnosis but with close monitoring you can beat all the odds. Let’s dive a little more into the concepts of insulin resistance and diabetes.
You can’t see insulin resistance, but surely you can see your doctor for the same. Before that let’s help you identify whether you need a doctor or not. As insulin resistance is something that you may not feel but can have it or vice versa.
What causes Insulin Resistance?
It isn’t easy to discover the cause of insulin resistance but repeated efforts by various researchers have concluded that excess body fat especially around the abdomen and a lack of physical activity could pave the way for insulin resistance to develop over time. Leading to pre-diabetic conditions and ultimately landing into diabetes.
Some signs of insulin resistance include:
A waist length of 35 inches or more for women, 40 or more for men
Skin tags
Blood pressure readings of 130/80 mm of Hg
A fasting triglyceride of over 150 mg/dl
Patches of dark, velvety skin known as acanthosis migrans
But merely noticing the above signs in you doesn’t tag you with insulin resistance. There are certainly other factors that make you more prone. For example:
A positive family History i.e having diabetes running in your family
Certain ethnicities like African and native Americans
History of heart diseases
Sleep disturbances
Hormonal disorders like acromegaly and Cushing syndrome
Certain medications like Steroids, antipsychotics
Individuals with metabolic syndrome ( a combination of high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and large waist size)
You may not be able to make a note of all the points above but there are certainly a few that will make you think of visiting a doctor. So, what exactly does a doctor do? They will run various tests to confirm the above-mentioned signs and risk factors and will check your pre-diabetic and diabetic status that primarily involves taking your blood sample. Test that confirms diabetes as per American Diabetic Association are as follows:
If you have risk factors for insulin resistance or are aware of certain developing signs and symptoms. It is better to get yourself checked just to rule out the impossible possibilities. Even if you don’t have risk factors, you should start getting tested once you reach age 45. If the results are normal but you have other risk factors for diabetes, you should be retested at least every 3 years.(3)
Insulin Resistance to Type 2 Diabetes journey
So, this ladder is one of the easiest to climb. You don’t have to do a thing, just sit and wait for your body to fail again and again. What happens is to combat this non-responsiveness of our body cells i.e. Insulin resistance, the pancreas tries to produce as much insulin as possible. Within few years, the pancreas gets worn out and blood sugar levels start to increase. Initiating pre-diabetic conditions further leading to diabetes, if adequate interventions are not taken in time.
You must be wondering if there is something to prevent this progression or not. Yes, there is but nothing comes for free. Not even, good health.
Preventive measures and treatment for insulin resistance:
Make weight loss a priority if you are obese
Research shows that you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58% by:(3) losing 7% of your body weight (or 15 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds)
Diet
The need for insulin can be reduced by altering the diet, particularly the carbohydrates in the diet. Carbohydrates are absorbed into the body after they are broken up into their component sugars. Some carbohydrates are broken up and absorbed faster than others and are referred to as having a high glycemic index. These carbohydrates increase the blood glucose level more rapidly and require the secretion of more insulin to control the level of glucose in the blood.
Increased physical activity: Exercising moderately (such as brisk walking) 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Both of these measures will help you increase your insulin sensitivity. Along with the same, eat healthily and sleep well. These small changes could help you beat insulin resistance at the earliest possible.
Eat, Sleep, Exercise, Repeat!!
References
Activation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 by insulin L Michelle Furtado 1, Romel Somwar, Gary Sweeney, Wenyan Niu, Amira Klip
Insulin Signaling and the Regulation of Glucose Transport Louise Chang, Shian-Huey Chiang, and Alan R Saltiel
American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes—2017. Diabetes Care. 2017;40(Suppl 1).
Content Credits
Ankita Chaudhary
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