The concept of insulin resistance, as well as its signs, symptoms and treatment

Insulin resistance develops as a result of a malfunction in the functioning of an important hormone. Usually, insulin "commands" the body's cells - for example, taking glucose from the blood and reworking it. With insulin resistance, the transmission of such "commands" is disrupted, resulting in cells ignoring insulin signals, and it can no longer function properly.

Often, such a malfunction occurs many years before the development of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it is important to quickly detect it.

As the body loses its ability to correctly recognize its own hormone with insulin resistance, it can only process sugar in limited quantities.

Insulin resistance in combination with high blood pressure, obesity and other disorders in the body is already life-threatening metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance syndrome.

Who is at risk?

The cause of development of resistance and type 2 diabetes is often a hereditary predisposition. If the disease affects the father or mother, the likelihood of its occurrence in children is very high.

In addition to genetic predisposition, other factors influence the risk of the disease: malnutrition( few ballast substances and too much fat), hormonal disorders, overweight, stress, lack of movement, infection, smoking and medication( rarely).

In most cases, the failure occurs not only in carbohydrate metabolism, but also in fat. In addition, many patients have increased blood pressure.

If excess weight is dangerous, first of all, deposits on the abdomen: from them a lot of substances are released into the blood that break the metabolism, damage the vessels and increase insulin resistance. The more fat in the abdomen, the worse functioning an important hormone insulin.

In addition to diabetes,

• cardiovascular diseases,
• Alzheimer's disease,
• ischemia of the heart,
• of ovarian optic gland in women,
• impotence in men can develop.

The body is protected by

The body tries to first compensate for the inadequate response of cells to insulin, the pancreas produces more and more hormone, so its blood level in the initial stage of the disease is even excessively high. So the body can maintain a normal sugar level for a long time.

But once the increased production of insulin is not enough, cells react to the hormone all the worse, they will get less glucose, and the sugar content in the blood rises. By this time, the person is already sick with diabetes, which must be treated.

Unfortunately, this serious illness is often diagnosed too late, and long-term consequences, such as cardiovascular diseases, have time to arise.

Symptoms of insulin resistance

External symptoms may be

• mental or physical exhaustion,
• bloating,
• weight gain,
• drowsiness after eating,
• digestive problems after eating carbohydrates.

Children also suffer from memory impairment and even inability to learn.

Complicated and simple diagnosis of

The gold standard in diagnosis is the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp test. However, this method for everyday use is too complicated, therefore, usually the index of insulin resistance, the so-called HOMA-IR, is calculated, which is calculated by the formula. To make the calculations you need to know the level of insulin and glucose. The patient sings blood on an empty stomach.

Resistance is also called pre-diabetes.this is the first step to type 2 diabetes. At the same time, the level of sugar is slightly increased and the level of insulin is greatly increased. It develops often asymptomatically, so it goes unnoticed for a long time.

A dangerous form of resistance is black acanthosis( acanthosis nigricans).In this disease, dark spots appear on the elbows, knees, ankles, in the armpits or on the occiput.

A healthy lifestyle as part of

therapy To counteract the development of insulin resistance, it is recommended:

1. Regularly move. If the patient has not had such an opportunity for a long time, then at first it is enough to walk at a brisk pace about five minutes a day, gradually increasing this time to 45 minutes.
2. Adjust the power. The doctor makes up an individual diet. Instead of simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and white flour, one should consume exclusively complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which contribute to a slower and more even increase in the percentage of sugar in the blood. It is necessary to refuse from the use of fast food and other products containing trans fats.
3. Provide an influx of minerals that will help to increase the sensitivity of cells to insulin. Well, if the doctor recommends high-quality dietary supplements.
4. Abandon unhealthy habits: alcohol abuse and smoking. It is also necessary to sleep well.

If this is not enough, prescribe drug treatment for insulin resistance. Metformin is often used - a basic drug for all patients with type 2 diabetes, who also suffer from insulin resistance. It lowers the level of the hormone and blood sugar without causing hypoglycemia, and also helps to reduce weight, improves the function of the ovaries in women and regulates the menstrual cycle.

It is also possible to treat folk remedies, such as blueberries or birch. Scientific research has proved that with the daily use of bilberries, sensitivity to insulin increases and at the same time the level of sugar decreases. In addition, the amount of hazardous substances produced by fatty tissue decreases.