We frequently hear about diabetes, but a less talked-about yet incredibly significant condition comes before it in many cases: insulin resistance. Insulin is like a key that opens the cells, allowing glucose (sugar) from your bloodstream to enter and be used for energy. With insulin resistance, these “locks” get stubborn, and you need more and more “keys” (insulin) to unlock them. In general, this can significantly affect your body’s nutrient processing and health.
Mechanism of Insulin Resistance in the Body:
When you consume food, carbohydrates that are present in food are normally converted into glucose, which enters your bloodstream. The pancreas then secretes insulin to enable the uptake of this glucose by your cells. However, in insulin resistance, the cells are less sensitive to insulin’s signal. Therefore, glucose is blocked from entering cells for energy, thus, the glucose concentration increases in the blood. The pancreas overcompensates by creating more insulin, resulting in hyperinsulinemia (high insulin levels). Possibly, even though your insulin levels are higher than normal, your blood sugar levels will stay in the normal range. This is why a multitude of individuals can be living with insulin resistance for a while without being aware of it. Though the compensatory mechanism can be ineffective at the later stage, which will lead to an increase in blood sugar levels and cause prediabetes and eventually type 2 diabetes.
Signs for Detecting Insulin Resistance:
Insulin resistance is asymptomatic in early stages, these signs develop at later ages, which include:
- Darkening of skin in the neck folds, armpits, and groin
- Skin tags
- Increased hunger and cravings, especially for sugary foods
- Fatigue, particularly after meals
- Difficulty in concentrating or brain fog
- Increased thirst and frequent urination
Risk Factors:
The following factors contribute to the development of insulin resistance, that is:
- Obesity
- Lack of physical activity
- Unhealthy or processed diet
- Age, genetics
- Chronic stress
- Certain medical conditions like PCOS
Nutritional Factors Contributing to Insulin Resistance:
Several dietary choices are very important in insulin resistance, like high consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugar-containing foods. These kinds of foods bring about quick sugar level spikes in the blood that require a high insulin response. Eventually, this constant sugar level demand can overload the system and cause cellular resistance. For example, you can have white bread, pasta, sweet drinks, and processed snacks.
- Diets rich in both saturated and trans fats (usually present in deep-fried products, processed snacks, and some animal-derived goods) are capable of causing a decrease in insulin sensitivity. These kinds of fats are likely to disrupt insulin from carrying out its function by blocking different pathways of signals.
- Many ingredients in processed food can add to inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, thereby affecting insulin sensitivity. These are some underground problems that the food industry has not yet addressed, and has even aggravated the situation with artificial products.
- Even though the supply of information is still being collected, some facts suggest that people who have always had big but not frequent meals seem to have higher pressure on insulin, unlike those who have small, frequent meals.
Dietary Management for Insulin Resistance:
Besides a diet that primarily includes fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains (such as quinoa, oats, brown rice), and also protein sources with less fat (fish, poultry, legumes).
- Go for complex carbohydrates and prefer whole grains over refined grains so that they are more fibrous and keep a slow release of glucose into the blood.
- Boost your fiber Intake and try to introduce 25-30 grams of fiber in a day, taking into account fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
- Eat more of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, but cut down on saturated and trans fats.
- Pay attention to portion sizes and do not overeat to stay within your daily caloric limit and keep the glucose load low.
- Adapt to meal timing and frequency, and it is suggested to distribute the intake into more but smaller meals or follow some intermittent fasting models (with the help of professional guidance) as well, if you want to stabilize your blood sugar and insulin levels.
- Eliminate sugary drinks and processed foods, as these are foods contributing to instant blood sugar spikes and inflammation.
- Water is essential to keep yourself hydrated by drinking as much water as possible during your waking hours.
- Understand the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how fast a food raises the blood sugar level. It is a sign of the quality of carbohydrates in the food. A low GI is a sign of better quality. Eating foods with a lower GI may result in a more gradual rise in your blood sugar level.
- The glycemic load (GL) adds the amount of carbohydrate (quantity) into the mix. It takes into account both the quality and the quantity of carbohydrates in a food. Eating a reasonable amount of high-quality foods is very important for managing your blood sugar, insulin levels, and weight.
Diet has a key role in the development and control of insulin resistance. Improved taste and informed food choices are the sure way to make your body greatly sensitive to insulin, manage blood sugar levels, and to be at reduce the risk of developing serious health issues. If you suspect insulin resistance in you, ask your doctor to give you the test and work with a food economist for your dietary plan. Get personalized information and a diet plan from a dietitian to empower yourself so that you and your family have a healthier lifestyle.