Insulin Resistance Information

History, facts, and statistics about insulin resistance.

• Thought to be an earlier sign of type 2 diabetes because it often comes before the escalation of diabetes.
• Insulin resistance is also known as hyperinsulinemia or Syndrome X:
• Fat, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle demonstrate a lower sensitivity to  insulin
• The degree of insulin resistance is different from person to person
• Insulin resistance puts a person a major risk factor for heart disease
• If left untouched it can progress to type 2 diabetes
• Approximately 25% of American adults have some degree of insulin resistance.
• Medical signs of insulin resistance:
• Obesity (Carrying excess fat around waist)
• Low levels of good cholesterol (HDL)
• High blood pressure
• Altered blood-clotting function
• Elevated acid levels in urine.
• American Diabetes Association management goals for insulin resistance:
• Control blood pressure
• Below 130/85 mm Hg
• Improve cholesterol levels (Diet & Medications)
• total cholesterol <200 mg/dl
• LDL (bad) cholesterol <100 mg/dl
• HDL (good) cholesterol >45 mg/dl
• Triglycerides <200 mg/dl
• Manage abnormal clotting by taking a daily aspirin
• Dietary changes:
• Smaller amounts of carbohydrates. (Bread, rice, cereal, simple sugars)
• Lower amounts of fat and cholesterol consumption
• Slow and steady weight loss of at least 2 to 4 pounds a month
• Insulin resistance can be decreased or even reversed by a reduction of body weight.
• Insulin resistance also can be managed with exercise; it will give more sensitivity to insulin resistant tissues. Recommendation is 20 minutes of exercise 3-5x a week.

Acronym to Understand Insulin Resistance:

Insulin resistance problems that normally occur as a group known as CHAOS:

C – Coronary artery disease -heart disease
H – Hypertension - high blood pressure
A – Atherosclerosis - hardening of the arteries
O - Obesity
S – Stroke