Insulin Resistance

When just one cupcake is one too many!

- Sudha Hariharan

Invisible changes in the body begin to appear long before a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. That's both bad news (no symptoms mean you won't know you have it) and good news (you can prevent or delay it if you're at risk). One of the most important unseen changes is Insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is also known as impaired insulin sensitivity, it can happen when the muscles and the fat and the liver do not respond to insulin the way they should. This usually leads to more production of insulin, also called hyperinsulinemia.

Two leading endocrinologists, Dr. David Chandy (Sir HN Reliance Foundation) and Dr.

Altamash Shaikh (Masina) help us by shedding light on insulin resistance and how it can be reversed. There are two main factors which can cause insulin resistance.

These can be excess body fat, especially around the waist or the belly and a lack of physical exercise.

Yes, insulin resistance can affect anybody whether you have diabetes or you don’t have it, it can be temporary or it can be chronic.

Insulin, Blood Sugar, and Type 2 Diabetes

Insulin is a key player in diabetes management. This vital hormone— you can’t survive without it— controls blood sugar glucose) in the body.

Here are the high points: The food you eat is broken down into blood sugar, which enters your bloodstream and signals the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin helps blood sugar enter the body cells so that it can be used for production of energy. Insulin also signals the liver to store blood sugar for later use.