Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is a condition characterized by the body’s diminished ability to respond effectively to insulin, a hormone essential for regulating blood sugar levels. When insulin resistance occurs, cells in the body become less efficient at taking in glucose, prompting the pancreas to produce more insulin to compensate. If the pancreas can no longer keep up with increased demands, this can lead to elevated blood sugar levels, resulting in prediabetes or type 2 diabetes over time. Insulin resistance is often linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, though other factors such as age, ethnicity, hormonal changes, and certain medications may also contribute to its development.
The condition is frequently associated with metabolic syndrome, which includes a cluster of symptoms like high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, and increased waist circumference. Early diagnosis of insulin resistance is crucial, as it allows individuals to adopt lifestyle changes that can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and other complications. Healthcare professionals assess insulin resistance through various tests, often focusing on indicators of prediabetes, rather than using complex procedures. Understanding and recognizing insulin resistance can empower individuals to take proactive steps toward better health.
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Subject Terms
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is the body’s weakened ability to respond to or act on the insulin it produces. The condition, if untreated, leads to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, which can go undiagnosed for years. Early diagnosis of insulin resistance allows patients to be proactive in order to delay or completely avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Insulin resistance syndrome, or metabolic syndrome, is a combination of medical conditions and physical characteristics associated with being overweight or obese. Individuals who have the syndrome risk developing type 2 diabetes (if they do not already have it) and cardiovascular disease. Chronic kidney disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome have also been linked to metabolic syndrome.
Overview
Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, allows the body to absorb glucose from nutrients in the bloodstream and use it to power the body’s cells. Specifically, insulin enables fat, muscle, and liver cells to take in glucose; it signals liver and muscle cells to store excess glucose; and it slows glucose production in the liver to reduce blood glucose levels. Insulin is a key part of metabolism, the body’s process of turning digested food into energy.
When insulin resistance develops, the body’s cells do not respond as they should and are therefore less efficient at absorbing glucose from the blood. In response, the pancreas produces more insulin to enable glucose absorption. As long as the pancreas is able to produce enough insulin, blood glucose levels will remain within an acceptable range. Over time, however, the pancreatic cells that produce insulin may not be able to keep up with the body’s increasing needs, which causes an excess of glucose in the bloodstream. This can lead to prediabetes, diabetes, and other related health conditions.
Researchers believe that insulin resistance may be caused in part by excess weight and a lack of physical exercise. Other factors that may contribute to the development of insulin resistance include age, ethnicity, hormones, sleep disruptions, cigarette smoking, and steroids. Some diseases and medications can also increase the risk.
Health care providers gauge insulin resistance by determining how much insulin is in the blood. Although there is an insulin test, the euglycemic clamp, that researchers use to study glucose metabolism, it is too expensive and complex to be practical for use in most clinical settings. Instead, doctors and other health care providers test for prediabetes, which indicates whether insulin resistance is likely.
Insulin resistance syndrome tends to be diagnosed in individuals who exhibit at least three of the following symptoms: a large waist measurement, high blood triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high fasting blood sugar, impaired glucose tolerance, or type 2 diabetes.
Bibliography
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