What You Need to Know About Insulin Resistance

Your body’s energy creation processes rely on a complex network of mechanisms. Insulin plays a key role. Your pancreas makes this hormone to take sugar from your blood and convert it into energy for your cells.

In certain people, though, insulin doesn’t work as effectively as it should. Left unchecked, this insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, as a specialist in treating insulin issues, including diabetes, Dr. Peymon Zarreii can help you understand and combat this issue from our Zarreii Medical and Aesthetics office in Delray Beach, Florida. 

Understanding insulin resistance

You get diagnosed with insulin resistance when your body stops responding to insulin like it should. This means the cells in your muscles, liver, and fat don’t use insulin to convert blood sugar into energy as effectively.

When it’s not used for cell energy, sugar builds up in your blood. At that point, your pancreas makes more insulin to try to bring your blood sugar levels down. This works for a while, but it’s only effective for so long. 

Left unchecked, insulin resistance can lead to prediabetes, which leads to type 2 diabetes if you don’t take action to get your blood sugar under control. 

How to know if you have insulin resistance

You won’t be able to feel insulin resistance, but you can watch for some of the associated symptoms, including:

• High blood pressure levels
• High fasting glucose levels
• A waistline of more than 35 inches in women or 40 inches in men
• Skin changes, including skin tags and acanthosis nigricans

You’re more likely to develop insulin resistance if you:

• Are obese
• Don’t exercise regularly
• Smoke
• Eat a lot of carbs (including sugar)
• Have a family history of diabetes

If one or more of these symptoms or risk factors sounds like you, talk to Dr. Zarreii. With blood tests, he can get a better idea of what’s going on inside your body. It’s important to find out if you could be living with insulin resistance because, again, if you leave it unchecked, you could develop diabetes. 

Insulin resistance and diabetes

Over time, insulin resistance usually develops into prediabetes, then type 2 diabetes. Once you’re diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you’ll have to make lifestyle changes to control your condition.

Fortunately, starting those lifestyle changes earlier can reverse insulin resistance and prevent a diabetes diagnosis. Adjustments to make to combat insulin resistance include:

• Getting active (even going on a brisk walk) for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week
• Eating a healthy, balanced diet
• Losing excess weight

Depending on the severity of your insulin resistance, Dr. Zarreii may also prescribe medication to try to keep your blood sugar within healthy levels.

Ultimately, insulin resistance spells trouble if you don’t address it. To find out if you could be living with this condition and to develop a plan to reverse it, contact Zarreii Medical and Aesthetics by calling our office or requesting your appointment online today.