Insulin resistance can start quietly, impact anyone and lead to diabetes if it goes unchecked. It\u2019s also linked to a whole host of diseases, from Alzheimer\u2019s to cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cInsulin resistance is largely a silent condition,\u201d NBC News medical reporter Dr. Akshay Syal, a board-certified internist at Atria Health & Research Institute in New York, tells TODAY.com.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of people get this mixed up: insulin resistance versus prediabetes versus Type 2 diabetes. There is, of course, a lot of overlap, but insulin resistance can happen without being pre-diabetic, without having diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Is Insulin Resistance?<\/p>\n
Insulin is a hormone made by the body to help regulate blood sugar. When a person eats, the food is broken down into glucose, triggering the pancreas to release insulin, which \u201cacts like a key\u201d to allow the sugar to enter cells of the body and be used for energy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> notes.<\/p>\n Insulin resistance<\/a> is when the body stops responding to the hormone as it normally does, Syal says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sort of takes more insulin to get the job done,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes this different from diabetes or prediabetes is that in the early stages, you may not have an elevated blood sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s because the body initially makes more insulin to bring blood sugar levels back to normal, leading to hyperinsulinemia<\/a>, so routine blood tests like hemoglobin A1C may not pick up any red flags. But eventually, the body can no longer compensate for the high blood sugar.<\/p>\n Insulin resistance \u201csets the stage\u201d for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, the CDC warns.<\/p>\n Research also links it to cancer<\/a>, Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a> and heart disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n Experts have called insulin resistance \u201cone of the major threats to global health in the 21st century<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Who Is at Risk?<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody can be at risk for this, but it\u2019s really people who are obese, people with high amounts of visceral fat that we worry about the most,\u201d Syal says.<\/p>\n Visceral fat is the type that wraps around the organs. Too much of it is linked to an increased risk of chronic disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n People can be at normal weight and still have insulin resistance, the CDC notes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s estimated about 40% of young adults in the U.S. have the condition, but almost half of them don\u2019t have obesity, studies<\/a> have found.<\/p>\n Insulin Resistance Symptoms<\/p>\n The condition doesn\u2019t have a lot of warning signs, but Syal says there are a few hints he\u2019d look for in his own body:<\/p>\n Dark Patches on Skin<\/p>\n These discolored areas, which can show up in skin folds such as the armpit or the back of the neck, are known as acanthosis nigricans<\/a>. The darkened skin changes texture as well and becomes thicker and velvet-like. Syal calls this a classic sign.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is one thing that we do look for, especially when patients come into the exam room. It\u2019s pretty obvious,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Skin Tags<\/p>\n This is another potential skin manifestation of insulin resistance. <\/p>\n Insulin is a \u201cwell-recognized growth-promoting hormone,\u201d and excess levels of it in the blood may cause \u201cendocrine disturbances\u201d that change how cells grow and divide, which can lead to these small benign growths on the skin, studies<\/a> have found.<\/p>\n Unexplained Weight Changes<\/p>\n A growing waistline can be a warning sign.<\/p>\n \u201cSay you\u2019re gaining a lot of weight, particularly around the abdomen or the belly, that would be a big one,\u201d Syal notes.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing\u2019s changed in your routine, and all of a sudden your weight starts fluctuating.\u201d<\/p>\n Fatigue After Meals<\/p>\n People may feel very tired or heavy after eating, which is \u201cusually not a good sign,\u201d the doctor cautions.<\/p>\n How To Get Help<\/p>\n There\u2019s no easily available gold standard test for insulin resistance, but testing insulin levels and fasting blood sugar can offer clues, Syal says. An A1C level that\u2019s normal but trending upwards over time is another potential sign.<\/p>\n He tells patients who are worried about developing insulin resistance to try an over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor<\/a>, which shows blood sugar levels in real time.<\/p>\n When the doctor wore the device himself, he noticed oatmeal spiked his blood sugar a little too high, so he cut down on his consumption of the breakfast staple.<\/p>\n A continuous glucose monitor can help people figure out which foods their body is sensitive to and see how walking after eating a meal stabilizes blood sugar<\/a>, Syal notes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe downside is it can cause a lot of anxiety for people, and it\u2019s not quite clear yet what those sugar spikes necessarily mean,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important you show that data to your physician and somebody that you trust who can go over that with you to see if there might be signs that your body\u2019s sugar is a little bit higher than it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n How to Fight Insulin Resistance<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible to reverse insulin resistance with exercise, weight loss and a healthy diet, the CDC notes.<\/p>\n