Insulin Resistance: Symptoms, Health Issues, and How to Treat It.
Insulin Resistance
Difficulty losing weight and easily gaining weight is just one of the signs of insulin resistance. You might also feel fatigued, irritable, moody, depressed, or anxious.
With the rising cost of medical insurance, doctor’s visits, and medications, nourishing your well-being and employing healthy habits is the simplest way to invest in your health. The body is continually exposed to internal and external stressors, which have a far-reaching impact on overall health and vitality. Insulin sensitivity is the foundation on which many other systems rely, and the interplay between lack of sleep, stress, poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle has a profound impact on the body’s hormone system and overall health.
What is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas. It plays a key role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats by moving energy into the cell to be stored as energy. It also works with other hormones to break down fat when energy is needed.
What is Insulin Resistance (IR)?
Insulin resistance (IR) occurs when the body becomes less sensitive to the effects of glucose. Elevated glucose signals the pancreas to produce insulin to keep glucose levels in a healthy range. But if glucose is chronically elevated, the pancreas must produce more and more insulin to keep up with demand. Over time, the cells receiving the glucose become resistant. They stop listening, and that’s when trouble begins. When there is too much blood sugar in the body, the pancreas must work harder to produce more insulin, and eventually, the pancreas can’t keep up, and blood sugar keeps rising. Too much glucose in the bloodstream is damaging to the body, as it drives inflammation increasing risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers such as breast, colon, and prostate cancer.
Symptoms of Insulin Resistance
Difficulty losing weight and easily gaining weight is just one of the signs of insulin resistance. One might feel fatigued, irritable, moody, depressed, or anxious. Or perhaps the drive to consume sweets or other refined carbohydrates occurs regularly and is usually followed by a crash in energy. The downstream impact on other hormones may lead to changes in menstrual cycles for women and possibly PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome. Men may experience low testosterone or erectile dysfunction. Teens and adults may be plagued with acne or changes in hair growth. Inflammation in the form of aches and pains may occur anywhere in the body, including joints and bones. Changes in liver health leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD), or metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease may occur. Other symptoms include microvascular diseases such as retinopathy, neuropathy, or nephropathy.
The Hallmarks of Insulin Resistance or Metabolic Syndrome
Your physician may have identified elevated fasting glucose (>100 mg/dl) or elevated hemoglobin A1c (5.7 or >).
Central obesity or a waistline greater than 32” for women and 40” for men.
Increase in blood pressure (130/85)
Triglycerides (>150)
LDL (>134)
HDL < 40 mg/dL in males or less than 50 mg/dL in females
What Causes Insulin Resistance?
A family history or genetic predisposition may be contributing factors to insulin resistance.
Being overweight, especially around the waist, can lead to IR, although a person with normal weight and low muscle mass can develop IR. Muscle plays a role in the development of IR because muscle cells are like sponges for glucose.
Eating a diet with poor nutrient quality and high in refined carbohydrates.
Poor sleep habits, such as late nights leading to too little sleep, which sets the body up for increased hunger the following day.
Excessive alcohol or binge drinking (alcohol also impairs sleep quality).
Chronic stress can keep the body in a state of fight or flight, making it harder for insulin to work properly. Interestingly, chronic stress can also interfere with quality sleep. ·
Lifestyle Factors that Prevent and Reverse Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is a condition that is fully reversible, but the sooner you take action to improve your health, the better. Healthy food choices, movement, quality sleep, and stress reduction all make a difference. Start with one item you can easily master and then build from there.
Make healthy choices. Including three balanced meals a day that include lean protein, healthy fats, colorful produce, nuts/seeds, and fiber from whole grains, lentils/legumes will go a long way to stabilize blood sugar, and lower demand for insulin. If you’re just starting to improve your diet, see if you can add one serving of colorful produce to each meal.
Increase movement. Start small, such as a 10-minute walk after lunch and dinner. Or try the 7-minute workout app. This series of 12 exercises performed in 7 minutes flat targets the major muscle groups in the body, helping to improve muscle tone.
Make sleep a priority. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. If you’ve been told you snore, a signal of poor-quality sleep, see your physician about a sleep study so you can take steps to improve your sleep.
Manage stress. Meditate, pray, or practice deep breathing. Anything that helps you unplug and quiet the mind.
If you’ve been struggling with extra pounds, changes in blood pressure, and increasing LDL and triglycerides, consider that insulin resistance may be leading the charge. With some simple diet and lifestyle changes, you can improve your metabolic health and invest in long-term health.