7 Signs You May Be Insulin Resistant

Why should you even care about being insulin resistant?  Does it mean that you are diabetic? Well, no, not quite but you may be well on that path. Diabetes isn’t something that happens overnight but there are signs that alert us that we are headed in that direction.  Knowing if you are insulin resistant can be the single most important factor in preventing diabetes.  But first…

 

What is Insulin Resistance??

Well if you look it up in the dictionary you will find insulin resistance defined as an impaired response of the body to insulin, resulting in elevated levels of glucose in the blood (a key component of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome).

Think of it as pre-pre-diabetes. What does that mean?  

Well, insulin is a hormone that helps us regulate our blood sugars after we eat a  meal.

When we eat, glucose (sugar) is just floating in our bloodstream waiting to be let into our cells so that they can use it for energy.

 Insulin acts as a key and unlocks the gate to our cells allowing glucose to enter and as a result, lowers our blood sugars.

This system works on a supply and demand model.  Insulin is released in relation to how much glucose is in our bloodstream.  

The more glucose (sugar) in your blood, the more insulin is released. If your blood glucose is chronically high, your cell can become less receptive (resistant) to insulin and not allow glucose to enter.  

If this condition worsens you will advance from resistance to prediabetes, to full-blown diabetes. Say there’s construction noise outside of your apartment.  

At first, you reacted to every little noise because it was so infrequent, you were sensitive to it.  But after weeks of continuous noise day in and day out, you aren’t affected by it anymore and hardly notice it’s there.  Resistance.

How Do I know If I am Insulin Resistant?

The only way to definitively know you are insulin resistant or diabetic is through blood testing.

• Fasting Insulin (the best indicator)
• Fasting Blood Glucose
• Hemoglobin A1C 

Fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c are better for assessing whether you are a diabetic, not insulin resistant.

  Your body compensates for elevated blood sugars by pumping out higher levels of insulin when you start to become resistant.

With this compensation, your fasting blood glucose and hA1c may result within a normal range hiding your underlying condition.  That’s why it is important to check your fasting insulin.

You can have normal blood sugars and still be insulin resistant because of your bodies ability to compensate. 

7 Signs of Insulin Resistance

 

1.Excessive Hairiness

This condition mostly associated with women is known as hirsutism and often accompanies polycystic ovarian syndrome,  PCOS, a condition exacerbated by insulin resistance.  

Hirsutism is male pattern hair growth on the chest, back, face, neck, and abdomen. 

2. Skin Discoloration   

This is a condition known as acanthosis nigricans and appears as dark patches of skin on the neck, armpits, knees, elbows and knuckles and armpits.  

3. Skin Tags

You may notice skin tags, soft fleshy masses appearing more frequently if you are insulin resistant.  the most common areas are:

• armpits
• neck
• eyelids
• groin

4. Belly Fat  

Also known as lipodystrophy and visceral fat.  

This is hormonal related fat deposition around the abdomen and abdominal organs. 

5. Always Feeling Hungry

When you are diabetic or insulin resistant, it becomes more and more difficult for glucose to enter your cells from the bloodstream.

Your cells essentially “starve” and this causes you to have cravings to eat more sugar in order to feed them.

6. Hypoglycemic (Low Blood Sugar) Episodes

Your cells are experiencing an insulin blitz attack.  They aren’t readily letting glucose in so your pancreas is releasing more and more insulin to force your cells open to receive glucose. This is causing your blood sugar levels to drop dramatically.  When this happens you can experience low blood sugar aka a hypoglycemic event.

• shaky
• weak
• sweaty
• cold
• emotional (hangry)

7. Hormone Imbalances

These can manifest in different ways:

• acne
• irregular menstrual cycles
• mood disturbances
• sleep disturbances
• balding (in women)

 

Pay close  attention to your skin and hair.  They could be alerting you to an underlying condition.

 

Can I Do Anything About It?

YES!  Yes, there are things that you can do to improve your insulin sensitivity, and I’m sure that you are all familiar with most of these tried and true recommendations, but here we go again.

Move!

How does exercise help us improve our insulin resistance?   Glycogen is a stored form of glucose.  

We keep glycogen stores in our liver and muscles and use it when we exercise.

Our glycogen stores are replenished using glucose in the bloodstream,  therefore making less work for insulin in blood sugar regulation:)  

What type of exercise?  No, you do not have to become a triathlete or a CrossFit instructor.   But you should try to get in at least 30 minutes or activity a day.  Brisk walking, biking, swimming, dancing, just move! Muscle building exercises are ideal:

• Weight lifting
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Resistance bands or my personal favorite kettlebells.  You don’t even have to leave the house!

 

Avoid Refined Carbohydrates And Sweeteners

I love an original glazed Krispy Kreme donut as much as anyone but let it be!

Fast food, junk food are mainly comprised of foods that are high on the glycemic index, meaning that they cause high and fast spikes in blood glucose.  No bueno. 

They also trigger your cravings for more glucose.  The Ketogenic Diet could help eliminate your sugar cravings.

 

You want to severely limit sweeteners, natural and artificial like:

• table sugar
• honey
• molasses
• splenda
• aspartame
• sugar alcohols (xylitol, maltitol)

Over time your taste buds can be retrained to detect the subtle sweetness in whole foods like almonds, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and coconut.

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Increase Healthy Fats

Fatty acids are essential to good hormone regulation and production. Good sources include:

• Avocados
• Walnuts
• Olives
• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Coconut milk
• Salmon
• Grass-fed butter
• Ghee

 

Increase Fiber

Fiber decreases the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream and also aids in waste removal.  I know we sound like a broken record but whole foods and green leafy vegetables are great sources of fiber.  Other sources include:

• chia seed
• flaxseeds
• avocados
• broccoli
• apples

 

Sleep!

Yes! Sleeping can help you with your insulin resistance.  When we aren’t getting enough sleep we are putting stress on our bodies and disrupting metabolic processes.   All sleep is not created equal.  Deep, restorative, REM sleep of at the bare minimum of 6 hours.  I know, wayyyy easier said than done. Which brings us to our next item which we could all take a lesson on.

Decrease Stress

If you are anything like…every other person on the planet,  then your life is full of stress. Living a modern day life is like spinning plates.

Our adrenal glands release cortisol in response to a stressor to put us in fight or flight mode.  

If you are chronically stressed then you are in constant fight or flight mode which is great when running away from a bear, but not for day to day living.  

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Journaling
• Dancing
• Music
• Baths
• Learning to say “No”

These may not be the methods that work for you but, find whatever it is that allows you to decompress even if only for a few minutes.  

The message I want you to take away is that insulin resistance is a warning.  Diabetes is not hard-wired into your DNA.  There are definitely ways to fight it.

Do you suspect you may be insulin resistant?  How have you improved your insulin sensitivity?