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I have studied more about this topic in the last year than any other topic. Understanding this thing called "INSULIN RESISTANCE" is so important for humanity, yet many of us really understand what it really is. Here is my attempt to shed light on this.....

Why Does It Matter?

Insulin Resistance is the 'cause' of diabetes, obesity, and many other chronic illnesses that most of us don't understand can be prevented.

- If you were told you could actually lose weight and not gain the weight back would you do it?
- If you could prevent or reverse your diabetes, would you do it?
- If you could reduce your risk of heart disease, dimensia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and more would you do it?

It might sound good to be true, but if you make a few simple changes to your life, you can do all that and more, without spending any extra money on supplements, taking expensive drugs, or reducing your quality of life.

HealthSpan and LifeSpan

I think it is a universal fear of turning old and suffering from physical or mental issues or diseases. When I was in my twenties I distinctly remember saying I didn't care about dying earlier than the average lifespand and that I would continue to eat whatever I wanted, as the last thing I wanted to do was to eat 'rabbit food' and 'cardboard bread'. Oh, the woes of being a young, arrogant, ignorant youth..... My grandmother died at the age of 97, living alone the last 30 years of her life, despite having type 2 diabetes for over 30 years, eating whatever she wanted. My uncle was very obese, but lived to be 89 years old, drinking as much sugar as he could get his hands on. On the flip side, my father died at the age of 85, having debilitating Parkinsons disease (Lewy Body Dimensia) for the last 10 years of his life.

We cannot predict our lifespan or guarantee our health status. Some people that embrace healthy living will die young from disease. Some people that ingnore a healthy lifestyle might live to be in their late nineties. You just don't know. However, we can improve the odds of living a disease free life, increasing our quality of life in the process.

What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance is a condition where cells in the muscles, fat, and liver do not respond well to insulin, leading to difficulty in taking up glucose from the blood. This can result in elevated blood sugar levels. Factors contributing to insulin resistance include excess weight, especially abdominal fat, and lack of physical activity.

Symptoms of insulin resistance may include being overweight, high blood pressure, elevated fasting glucose levels, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol levels, skin tags, and dark patches of skin called acanthosis nigricans.

Risk factors for insulin resistance include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, high-carbohydrate diet, gestational diabetes, certain health conditions like fatty liver disease and polycystic ovary syndrome, family history of diabetes, smoking, ethnicity, age over 45, hormonal disorders, certain medications, and sleep problems like sleep apnea.

To diagnose insulin resistance, healthcare providers may use blood tests like fasting plasma glucose test, oral glucose tolerance test, and hemoglobin A1c test. Lifestyle changes such as regular exercise (at least 30 minutes a day), maintaining a healthy weight through diet and physical activity, and eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and fish can help reverse insulin resistance and prevent type 2 diabetes.

Resources

As I continue learning about Insulin Resistance, I will try to post my research resources here.

Books
• The Obesity Code - Jason Fung
• The Complete Guide to Fasting - Jason Fung
• Why We Get Sick - Benjamin Bikman

Videos
• https://youtu.be/bGGIHPGCu9A?si=9lNRBmRSwDfG-rkP

One Of The Best Videos Explaining Insulin Resistance

Benjamin T. Bikman is a Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology at Brigham Young University. Here he is giving a lecture on Hyperinsulinemia at a seminar.