What is Insulin Resistance? And how do you know if you have it?

Do you have insulin resistance? Most people don't know what it is or whether they have it, and yet it's almost always part of the reason my clients come to me for nutrition guidance.

Insulin resistance is at the heart of metabolic dysfunction, which drives lots of health issues and chronic diseases, as I wrote about in my last post. It's also something that can develop for a long time before you notice symptoms or see it in your labwork. It's easiest to correct insulin resistance when it's caught early, so understanding what it is and recognizing the symptoms is important.

What Is Insulin And What Does It Do?

When you eat, your digestive system breaks down the carbohydrates in your food into glucose (aka blood sugar), which is absorbed into your bloodstream. Your pancreas senses an increase in blood sugar and releases the hormone insulin, which is required for the glucose to be absorbed by your cells and used for energy.

Ideally, your pancreas produces the perfect amount of insulin to keep your blood sugar in an optimal range. When working properly, this is a tightly regulated process called insulin sensitivity. 

How Insulin Resistance Develops

If your blood sugar spikes often, the process may malfunction. You produce lots of insulin to control the blood sugar, but your cells become resistant to its signal. Your pancreas tries to force your cells to listen by producing even more insulin, which keeps your blood sugar in check for a while, but eventually, it can't keep up.

It’s like walking into a party where really loud music is playing. At first, the music is deafening, but eventually, your ears will start to tune it out. The DJ might turn it up to get your attention, so you cover your ears and tune that out, too. 

When that happens, you have become insulin-resistant. Your fasting blood sugar begins to rise because your body isn't capable of keeping it within a healthy range. The next thing you know, your doctor will be talking to you about watching what you eat or the possibility of prediabetes.

How Do You Know if You Have Insulin Resistance?

Unfortunately, high fasting blood sugar (>99mg/dl) is one of the last indicators that you have insulin resistance.

Long before blood sugar exceeds the normal range, you may experience signs of insulin resistance, such as:

• Excess weight

• Abdominal fat, even when your weight is 'normal'

• Cravings

• Food noise

• Low or inconsistent energy

These are all signs that your pancreas and insulin may be having a hard time keeping up with the demands to regulate your blood sugar.

Insulin resistance is also at the root of many chronic diseases. Learn more about them in this post:

How Do You Fix Insulin Resistance?

The good news is that insulin resistance is very responsive to diet and lifestyle strategies. Addressing it — even before you hear about it from your doctor — is at the heart of my approach when I work with clients. 

One client came to me because she struggled to lose weight, especially from her belly. We made some simple dietary changes - including increasing her protein and fat. Not only was she able to eat more and feel more satisfied, but she lost weight and saw a dramatic drop in her triglycerides, which is one of the lab values that indicate insulin resistance.

Learn more about my program to improve insulin resistance and your metabolic health.

As a nutritionist, I can’t diagnose your condition, but I can help you address the symptoms that bother you, which will improve your metabolic health at the same time. If you're curious what that would look like for you, schedule a free call and let's talk about it.