Life Beyond Diabetes Blog

Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes

Apr 02, 2019

Insulin Resistance (IR) is a condition in which the body is unable to properly use insulin.

IR is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and may be an early sign of Type 2 Diabetes.

To understand IR, it’s necessary to know a few things about insulin first.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. (A hormone is a chemical messenger that tells cells what to do.) Insulin sends many messages to various types of muscles. Here are a few of them:

  • Tells muscle and liver cells to allow sugar through cell membrane, where it can be used as energy to fuel the body
  • Tells fat cells to allow sugar through the cell membrane, where it can be stored to be used as energy in the future
  • Tells fat cells NOT to release stored energy

What does this look like in a non-IR body?

  1. Person eats meal with carbohydrates (sugar)
  2. Brain senses rise in sugar level in the blood and signals pancreas to release insulin
  3. Pancreas releases insulin, which...
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