Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that helps the body absorb glucose — a type of sugar we get from the food we eat — and turn it into energy. Some people experience insulin resistance, where the body doesn’t respond to insulin as well as it should.
“Insulin resistance describes a situation where the tissues and organs in our body become insensitive to insulin and insulin stimulation,” explains Ping Wang, M.D., chair of the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism at City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte. This may lead to higher-than-normal blood sugar levels.
“However, insulin resistance is not equivalent to diabetes and can have a variety of different causes,” Dr. Wang adds.
This article will explore:
- What Is Insulin Resistance?
- Is Insulin Resistance Diabetes?
- Insulin Resistance vs. Diabetes
- Insulin Resistance Symptoms
- Insulin Resistance Tests
- Insulin Resistance Treatment
- Is Insulin Resistance Reversible
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes and are looking for a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.
What Is Insulin Resistance?
Food contains a type of sugar called glucose. When we eat, glucose enters the bloodstream. The pancreas then produces the insulin hormone to help the body absorb the glucose and convert it into energy.
If you are insulin resistant, your pancreas must produce more insulin to help the body absorb the extra sugar. However, if your body starts to struggle to make enough insulin, “this puts stress on the pancreas, leading to a perfect storm that may cause your blood sugar to tick up,” says Debbie Thurmond. Ph.D., director of the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute at City of Hope.
Is Insulin Resistance Diabetes?
Insulin resistance and diabetes are not the same thing. However, being insulin resistant may raise your blood sugar levels and lead to prediabetes, a condition that causes higher-than-normal blood sugar levels. About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has prediabetes.
“While it can be a component of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance does not equal type 2 diabetes,” says Dr. Wang. He adds that anyone with prediabetes should meet with a diabetes specialist to talk about monitoring his or her blood sugar levels, since prediabetes may develop into type 2 diabetes.
“It's not always the case that you’re going to develop diabetes because you have insulin resistance,” Dr. Wang explains. “But about 40% of all insulin resistant patients are diabetic.”
Insulin Resistance vs. Diabetes
Although diabetes and insulin resistance are related, they are different conditions.
If you are insulin resistant:
- The organs that help absorb glucose, including the liver and musculoskeletal system, stop responding normally to insulin
- The pancreas produces extra insulin to compensate for this (a condition called hyperinsulinemia), helping the body absorb glucose and maintain healthy blood sugar levels
If you are diabetic:
- The pancreas cannot produce enough extra insulin to help the body process glucose
- This leads to blood sugar levels that are higher than normal and that may need to be managed with medication, diet or lifestyle changes
“Insulin resistance mostly remains in the arena of research,” as researchers work to fully understand how and why this condition develops, Dr. Wang says.
Insulin Resistance Symptoms
Most of the time, insulin resistance does not come with any symptoms. However, if it develops into prediabetes, some signs may emerge, including:
- Darker skin in the armpit
- Darker skin or “skin tag” growths around the armpit, as well as the back and sides of the neck
- Very early symptoms of retinopathy, which affects the retinas in the eyes
Insulin Resistance Tests
No standard tests for insulin resistance have been developed. This is because treatment isn’t usually necessary unless insulin resistance turns into prediabetes.
If your doctors suspect you may be prediabetic, the two most common tests are:
- A fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test, which measures blood sugar levels at the time you take the test
- An A1C test, which measures blood sugar levels over the past three months
Measuring blood sugar levels over time helps your doctors determine whether you should be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic.
Insulin Resistance Treatment
“The Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved any therapy for insulin resistance, because insulin resistance itself is part of a pathophysiological phenomenon and does not necessarily need to be treated per se,” Dr. Wang says.
While no medical treatments are available, certain lifestyle changes may help manage or reduce insulin resistance, including:
- Getting regular physical activity (at least several times per week)
- Following a healthy diet that includes non-starchy vegetables, whole grains and fruit
- Losing some weight, if you’re overweight or obese
“You don't necessarily treat for insulin resistance, but you can treat the biochemical abnormality or the pathological outcome of the disease,” Dr. Wang says.
Is It Reversible?
Research has shown that it’s sometimes possible to reverse insulin resistance, but in most cases, the best course of action is to follow the lifestyle changes mentioned above.
But Dr. Wang stresses that no two insulin resistant patients are the same.
“It’s a very complicated process and mechanism, and each patient has different reasons for developing insulin resistance,” he says. “For some, it might be because they’re taking certain medications. Others may have autoimmune disease or may be overweight. And if there are genetic reasons for insulin resistance, you may not be able to reverse it.”
Meeting with a primary care doctor is an invaluable step toward creating a plan tailored to your own health goals and diagnosis.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes and are looking for a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.