Have you been diagnosed with insulin resistance, or does it run in your family?
Most people think that it simply increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. But there are far more implications of insulin resistance than you might realise.
The role of insulin in the body
When it comes to insulin, the big role most of us already know about is stimulating your cells so they take up energy (glucose).
But there is much more to insulin than this mechanism (although don’t get me wrong, it’s an important one!)
Some of the other actions insulin is believed to be responsible for include:
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Promoting muscle growth and repair by transporting amino acids to the muscle tissue
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Supporting the uptake of lipids into fat cells
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Facilitating the uptake of amino acids and potassium into cells
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Modulating sodium and fluid volume in urine
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Enhancing the brain’s ability to learn & memory
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Supporting a regular menstrual cycle by maturing the egg for ovulation
As you can see, there are a lot of health implications when it comes to insulin.
Let’s talk insulin resistance
Now that we know a bit more about insulin, let’s look at where it can go wrong. The biggest concern is when you develop a condition known as insulin resistance (IR for short).
IR occurs when you have consistently high levels of insulin. It’s a known precursor to type 2 diabetes, so 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’. To try and fix the problem, your body will produce more insulin. Unfortunately, this just perpetuates the cycle by increasing the cells’ resistance to insulin.
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!
WHAT INSULIN RESISTANCE CAN MEAN FOR YOU
Now that you have an understanding of what insulin resistance is – what does it actually mean?
At its root, insulin resistance is a sign of metabolic dysfunction. Something has thrown off the balance of your metabolism, and IR is your body trying to cope with it.
IR is also a major cause of reduced metabolic flexibility.
Metabolic flexibility is your body’s ability to respond or adapt to changes such as fuel types (glucose vs fats) or energy demand (e.g. exercise). Some of the benefits include steadier energy, fewer cravings, increased fat-burning and balanced blood sugar levels.
But when you are insulin resistant, this flexibility drops off. As a result, you’re more prone to sugar and carb cravings, constant hunger, energy crashes, mood swings and irritability. It also becomes much harder to shift excess fat from the body.
If that wasn’t enough to deal with, insulin resistance is also tied to:
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Premature/accelerated ageing
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Stubborn weight gain and belly fat
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Increased inflammation
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Reduced stress tolerance
Stay tuned for future blogs exploring these links and what you can do to prevent them.
THERE IS NO QUICK FIX FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE!
When it comes to insulin resistance, it takes time to see the results of diet and lifestyle changes (more on that in a future blog!) So more people are looking for supplement options to help them reach their health goals quickly.
Honestly, when I looked for the type of supplement I wanted to fast-track my own wellbeing, my options were limited. That’s why I’ve formulated my own innovative supplement designed to support healthy ageing! Plus it helps to support healthy blood glucose & metabolism of carbohydrates, both of which play a critical role in insulin resistance. 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.