Insulin Resistance - The Pre-diabetes that Most Are Unaware Of

Many people don't even realize they are already on the path to developing diabetes with a condition known as insulin resistance, a type of pre-diabetes, it is a growing national problem: Some experts believe half of all overweight or obese American adults are insulin-resistant. As women enter the years leading to menopause, the hormonal changes that trigger hot flashes and end menstruation make women more likely to add fat around the waistline than in other places. A key tip-off of looming trouble is a waistline over 34 inches, (For men, it's 40 inches.) Fat also builds up in the liver and other vital organs, predisposing them to insulin resistance, a condition in which insulin no longer can inject enough glucose into the body's cells for fuel.

The body's compensatory mechanisms eventually fail; blood pressure rises along with levels of blood sugar and blood fat - making cells even more resistant to insulin. Diabetes, heart disease or both often follow. That's the sequence that's occurring in tens of millions of American adults and an increasing number of children amid the country's obesity epidemic. Besides a family history of heart disease or diabetes, women who had diabetes during pregnancy or who had a baby 9 pounds or heavier are at higher risk of insulin resistance.

There are no outward physical signs of insulin resistance. A glucose tolerance test, during which insulin and blood glucose are measured, can help determine if someone is insulin resistant. Many people who are insulin resistant produce large enough quantities of insulin to maintain near normal blood glucose levels. In a normal person after you eat, the food is broken down into glucose, the simple sugar that is the main source of energy for the body's cells. But your cells cannot use glucose without insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin helps the cells take in glucose and convert it to energy. When the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to use the insulin that is present, the cells cannot use glucose.

Excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream, setting the stage for diabetes.Being obese or overweight affects the way insulin works in your body. Extra fat tissue can make your body resistant to the action of insulin, but exercise helps insulin work well. In a person who is insulin resistant their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. The pancreas tries to keep up with the demand for insulin by producing more. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up with the body's need for insulin, and excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream. Many people with insulin resistance have high levels of blood glucose and high levels of insulin circulating in their blood at the same time.

If you have pre-diabetes, you have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes or non insulin-dependent diabetes. Studies have shown that most people with pre-diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight-which is about 10 to 15 pounds for someone who weighs 200 pounds-by making modest changes in their diet and level of physical activity. People with pre-diabetes also have a higher risk of heart disease. People ask what causes insulin resistance, because insulin resistance tends to run in families, we know that genes are partly responsible. Excess weight also contributes to insulin resistance because too much fat interferes with muscles' ability to use insulin.

Lack of exercise further reduces muscles' ability to use insulin. Insulin resistance can be reversed; physical activity and weight loss make the body respond better to insulin. By losing weight and being more physically active, you may avoid developing type 2 diabetes. The main goal in treating insulin resistance and pre-diabetes is to help your body relearn to use insulin normally. This can be done in several ways, one is physical activity, it helps your muscle cells use blood glucose because they need it for energy. Exercise makes those cells more sensitive to insulin. You also need to follow a low calorie, low fat diet. Losing just five to seven percent of you body weight can make your body use the insulin like it should and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on. If you smoke you need to quit in addition to increasing your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, smoking contributes to insulin resistance.

There are medicines used to help with insulin resistance, that are used for other diseases such as type 2 diabetes, there are none just for insulin resistance but with current research they hope to find more alternatives in the near-by future.
Heather Shockney