What is insulin resistance?

Have you heard people talking about blood glucose and insulin resistance but have no idea what it means? Understanding insulin is important if you want to comprehend metabolism and how different forms of food can influence energy levels as well as fat storage.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that stimulates cells to take up glucose and turn it into energy. Insulin resistance is when the response of the cell is impaired and doesn’t respond well to insulin. When this initially begins to happen, your body will try to compensate by producing more insulin, and increasing levels in circulation. This can help the cells to access glucose.

However, over time, due to consistently high levels of insulin in circulation, the cells can become less responsive to the presence of the hormone. If this is prolonged, the pancreas can begin to struggle to maintain insulin levels and glucose levels remain high for longer periods of time. The body then begins to store this excess energy around the body leading to weight gain.

When insulin resistance is prolonged, it can develop into prediabetes and show up on a blood test as elevated HbA1c (a measurement of blood glucose levels over the previous 12 weeks). When the pancreas reaches a stage when it can no longer produce adequate levels of insulin, this is type 2 diabetes, and this has to be carefully managed using blood glucose monitoring, diet and lifestyle management.

So, insulin resistance can be a stage in metabolic dysfunction that precedes diabetes and yet it is not commonly tested for or talked about until pre or type 2 diabetes is suspected. Before an individual reaches the stage of a diabetes diagnosis, but already has high levels of glucose and insulin in circulation in their blood, they may find it hard to lose weight. They may feel that their appetite increases as their cells struggle to access the energy from the food they are eating, and they may feel hungry and tired despite having just eaten a meal.

There is a private test available to nutritional therapists that measures fasting insulin levels with an at-home finger prick test. This can be a valuable tool in finding the root cause of an individual’s symptoms and helps direct dietary and lifestyle changes.

As a natural symptom of the ageing process, insulin sensitivity can decrease. Menopause is also a time when metabolic processes change drastically, and many women find that their body shape changes. When oestrogen levels drop, so can sensitivity to insulin. Continuing to eat what you have always eaten can begin to negatively affect your body shape and ability to maintain energy and function as well as you have done in the past.

Being mindful of this and noticing your body cues such as appetite changes, changes in body composition and energy levels can help you to make small but significant modifications to your diet and prevent high blood glucose levels. Avoiding sugary food and drinks and choosing naturally sweet fruit and unsweetened drinks is an obvious step in reducing blood glucose levels. Many people don’t realise that carbohydrates such as rice, bread, potatoes and pasta break down in the body into glucose, fibre and starches. Eating large quantities of these foods can contribute to weight gain due to these alterations in metabolic processes. Selecting more complex and slower-to-digest forms of these carbohydrates reduces the rate that they are absorbed into the bloodstream. Examples are brown or wild rice, wholegrain bread and pasta.

Reducing the portion size or frequency of eating carbohydrate-rich meals can help to prevent high blood glucose levels. For example, reducing the portion of spaghetti and replacing it with a bit more of a protein-rich sauce. Ensuring you eat protein with carbohydrates also slows down the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream. Including plenty of fibre from vegetables and fruit helps to reduce glucose spikes, keeps you feeling full for longer and is also great for gut health. Having some healthy fat with each meal such as oily fish, olive oil dressing, nuts and seeds or avocado slows the movement of food from the stomach into the intestine and can also reduce blood sugar spikes.

When putting together a meal, take note if you have managed to balance the carbohydrates such as rice, pasta or bread with protein from meat, fish, eggs, beans, cheese or tofu. Ensure you include plenty of colourful, non-starchy vegetables. Drizzle with a little olive oil, hemp seed oil dressing or a dollop of smashed avocado and see if different combinations have an impact on your energy levels after you’ve eaten as well as your energy levels over time.

Have you been trying to eat a healthy diet but find that whatever you do you can't shift those extra pounds or are still struggling to maintain energy levels? Are you approaching menopause and can feel your body changing but don't know how best to support yourself? If you are fed up with following prescriptive diets that work for a while but are sustainable, then get in touch with me and book a free discovery call.