First, what is insulin? 

To answer that question, we should start with a quick discussion on glucose.  Glucose is the main source of energy for our cells.  Glucose comes from the food we eat, enters the bloodstream and thereafter it needs to be transported into cells where it can be used for energy.  Glucose, however, does not enter cells on its own; it needs a mechanism to get into the cell. Here is where insulin comes in.  Insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose levels.  It is released by the pancreas and serves as a facilitator to get glucose into cells.  When you eat, blood glucose levels rise which stimulate insulin release.  Insulin acts like a key that unlocks the door to the cell to allow the glucose to enter and be used for energy production.  When you are insulin sensitive (what you want), your pancreas effectively produces the correct amount of insulin that corresponds to the glucose in your bloodstream which stimulates your cells (primarily muscle cells) to uptake the glucose.  In other words, there is a balance between insulin and glucose.  When your body uses glucose for its energy needs, blood glucose levels decline. 

What is insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance, a precursor and characteristic of Type 2 diabetes, is a loss or impairment of insulin sensitivity.  Essentially, your cells become resistant to insulin so that insulin fails to function as the key that unlocks glucose’s transport into your cells. Glucose then remains and builds up in your bloodstream.   When this happens over time, the pancreas eventually responds by producing less insulin and if it progresses, ultimately it will not produce enough, or none at all.  As blood glucose levels rise, any glucose that is not used for energy needs or is not taken up into cells, will be stored in fat cells.  Glucose levels in the bloodstream can also continue to remain high which can lead to your blood being more viscous (thicker).  Blood with high glucose levels can be thick enough to actually scrape the sides of arteries causing damage, narrowing and plaques, resulting in atherosclerosis which can be a complication of insulin resistance and lead to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  

Factors contributing to insulin resistance

There are several lifestyle behaviors contributing to increased risk of insulin resistance:

• Excess energy/food intake
• Obesity
• Poor/low nutritional quality diet
• Low levels of physical activity
• Infections
• Inflammation
• High levels of cholesterol or fat/lipids in the blood

Lifestyle modifications that can reduce risk of insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity

The good news is there are several lifestyle modifications that can help reduce the risk of insulin resistance: 

• Achieve appropriate body composition (i.e., reduce body fat levels if needed). Excess body fat can impair the effect of insulin and use of glucose in the body
• Engage in resistance training.  Adding muscle mass means increased metabolism, use of energy and more muscle cells available to uptake glucose from your blood
• In addition to resistance training, increase overall physical activity.  Add walking and movement into your lifestyle daily.
• Decrease inflammation.  See here for recommendations on how to decrease or avoid inflammation in your body. 

If you would like some guidance on how you can address and mitigate insulin resistance with lifestyle interventions, reach out!  I’d love to help you.