It’s well known that insulin resistance typically occurs prior to type 2 diabetes. You can be insulin resistant for years before developing the disease, and often a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is a person’s first sign that they are in fact insulin resistant.
But this diabetes precursor can wreak havoc on your health independent of diabetes, and serious health risks can surface even in those without the disease.
For starters, people with insulin resistance are at an increased risk of stroke, according to a new study by University of Miami researchers. In the study of over 1,500 non-diabetic participants, those in the top quarter of insulin resistance had a 45 percent greater risk of vascular events, including stroke and heart attack.
Other health conditions linked with insulin resistance include fatty liver, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), reproductive problems in women, growth abnormalities and skin conditions, including skin tags and acanthosis nigricans, which are dark patches of skin in neck, arm and other creases.
When you are insulin resistant, your cells are no longer as sensitive to the effects of insulin, which means higher levels are needed in order for you to function properly. This is a bad sign for your health, as insulin at high levels can:
- Shorten your life expectancy
- Lead to weight gain
- Cause even more insulin resistance
- Lead to heart disease and increases in blood pressure
- Increase your risk of developing cancer
Because insulin resistance is a marker for so many health conditions, and also signals that your body is heading for type 2 diabetes, it’s important to have your health care practitioner screen you for this condition, and take action if you have it.
The good news is that, although some cases of insulin resistance may be passed on through families, typically the condition can be reversed with lifestyle changes. Losing weight, cleaning up your diet and exercising regularly are all steps that can dramatically lower your risk of becoming insulin resistant in the first place, and reverse the condition if you already have it.
So if you’re diagnosed with insulin resistance, take it as a warning sign and not a lifelong label. By making lifestyle changes now — the guidance of a holistic health care practitioner may help you formulate a plan and stick to it — you can avoid the type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart attack and more that are associated with this condition.
Quite simply, if you have the desire, you have the power to make insulin resistance disappear completely.
Archives of Neurology October 2010; 67(10):1195-200
ScienceDaily.com October12, 2010
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