Did you know that there’s an important link between insulin resistance and chronic inflammation? These two conditions have a lot in common – they are often silent to begin with, and many people will go undiagnosed for years before discovering them. But when both occur, it can cause even greater health concerns.
What is insulin resistance?
As we’ve touched on previously, insulin resistance (IR) occurs when you have consistently high levels of insulin. You might see it referred to as pre-diabetes.
In IR, your body is producing plenty of insulin, but your cells don’t get the ‘message’. In an attempt to fix the problem, your body will produce more insulin. Unfortunately, this just perpetuates the cycle by increasing the cells’ resistance to insulin.
What is chronic inflammation?
Chronic inflammation is a long-term condition that takes many months and even years to develop. As the name suggests, it is when you are in an ongoing state of inflammation. Usually this inflammation is low-grade so it might not even cause symptoms to begin with (unlike acute inflammation).
When the body is in this state of chronic inflammation, it is also in a constant state of alert, always looking for danger. This causes a considerable amount of stress and oxidative damage within the tissues, leading to impaired organ function, damaged DNA and accelerated ageing (eek!)
This is where it’s important to touch on inflammaging.
Inflammaging is one of the long-term impacts of untreated chronic inflammation. The unrelenting inflammation drastically increases the rate of ageing. And the effects of this further feed into inflammation and other body processes.
How are the two conditions linked?
There is a two-way street between these conditions – they both feed into one another. So it is often a chicken-or-egg situation, depending on your underlying factors and health history!
For example, let’s look at insulin resistance. When there is too much insulin in the bloodstream, it can cause inflammation. Then there’s also more sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream because cells aren’t ‘listening’ to insulin, which is a double-whammy for inflammation!
But inflammation can also trigger insulin resistance. This is believed to be thanks to inflammation’s effect on insulin signalling and insulin sensitivity of the muscles and liver.
So where do you start first if you’re dealing with both conditions? I like to say both – because there is plenty of overlap in how we address them anyway! Make sure you check out my top tips for addressing insulin resistance here.
CAN SUPPLEMENTS HELP REDUCE INSULIN RESISTANCE AND INFLAMMATION?
Supplements can‘t replace a balanced diet and exercise regime, but they can support pathways involved with insulin resistance and inflammation. However, not all supplements are created equal!
That’s why I’ve formulated my own innovative supplement designed to support healthy ageing! It helps to support healthy blood glucose & metabolism of carbohydrates – both of which play a critical role in insulin resistance.
In terms of inflammation, it can reduce free radicals formed in the body, support body tissue regeneration and healthy immune system function, as well as working as an antioxidant. Learn more about Energy Glow NR here.
Susie Garden
I help women feeling stressed, flat and older than they’d like regain their youthful energy and glow using a proven method so their natural beauty and confidence shines through.