Insulin resistance occurs when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver do not respond adequately to insulin and are unable to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. As a result, your pancreas produces more insulin to promote glucose absorption into your cells. Your blood glucose levels will stay in the healthy range as long as your pancreas can produce enough insulin to override your cells’ low insulin responsiveness.
Insulin resistance or prediabetes is more frequent in people who have genetic or lifestyle risk factors. The exact cause is unknown, but a family history of type 2 diabetes, being overweight and inactive, health conditions such as high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels, and a history of heart disease or stroke can all increase the risk.
Treatment for insulin resistance begins with a lifestyle change. Maintaining healthy body weight and engaging in physical activity can help lower the risk of developing insulin resistance. Dietary intervention should involve calorie restriction as well as a reduction in carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. Physical activity boosts calorie expenditure as well as insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue. Exercise and diet were nearly twice as effective as metformin at reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to the Diabetes Prevention Program.
Choosing whole, unprocessed foods over highly processed and prepared foods are generally the best option. High-processed foods, such as white bread, white rice, pastries, sodas, snacks, pasta, sweets, breakfast cereals, and added sugars, digest quickly and can cause blood sugar levels to increase. This puts extra stress on the pancreas, which produces the hormone insulin. Insulin resistance has also been linked to saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are a better option.
A study examined the effects of lifestyle changes on middle-aged, overweight adults with impaired glucose tolerance. Participants were randomly divided into two groups:
- The intervention group, which received individualized counseling aimed at losing weight, making healthy dietary changes, and increasing physical activity.
- The control group, which received general diet and exercise advice but no individualized counseling.
After four years, diabetes risk was reduced by 58 percent in the intervention group, which also improved in all metabolic syndrome parameters. Weight loss after one and three years was 4.5 and 3.5 kg in the intervention group, and 1.0 and 0.9 kg in the control group, respectively. Glycemia and lipemia levels improved more in the intervention group.
The intensive lifestyle intervention resulted in long-term positive improvements in nutrition, physical activity, clinical and biochemical indicators, as well as a lower risk of diabetes. This type of intervention is a viable approach for preventing type 2 diabetes, and it should be applied in primary care.