As a person ages, they may begin to have more difficulty losing weight and/or develop high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Medical research shows these issues could signify more than the natural aging process, and that insulin resistance (prediabetes) could be a contributing factor for those who’ve developed these concerning health issues.
What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps regulate the amount of glucose (sugar) that is distributed from the bloodstream into liver, muscle, and fat cells, which in turn use and/or store blood glucose as energy. Insulin resistance occurs when these cells don’t respond well to insulin signaling them to receive glucose from the bloodstream. The pancreas then pumps out even more insulin in an attempt to remove sugar from the blood. Over time, insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes as the pancreas runs out of the glucose-regulating insulin hormone and excessive amounts of glucose remain circulating in the blood.
Testing for Insulin Resistance
In general, a fasting blood sugar result in the range of 100-125 mg/dL is considered prediabetes (insulin resistance). However, just one abnormally high (greater than 99 mg/dL) blood sugar test result doesn’t automatically mean a person is prediabetic. A single high blood sugar test result may be due to excessive sugar intake and/or intense exercise the day before. To be certain a physician may recommend further testing, especially if the person is older than 45 and has other health issues such as obesity, difficulty losing weight, a familial history of type 2 diabetes, and/or high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
A more comprehensive test, the hemoglobin A1C test, measures the average of a person’s blood glucose levels over the past 3 months. The ranges for the A1C test are as follows
- 5.7% or below = normal A1C result
- Between 5.8% and 6.4% = insulin resistance range
- 6.5% or above = type 2 diabetes
Reversing Insulin Resistance
Although losing weight can be difficult when a person has the issue, getting rid of excess weight can play a significant role in reversing insulin resistance. Some other helpful behavioral changes include
- Incorporating consistent heart-pumping exercise
- Getting enough sleep and reducing stress levels
- Reducing consumption of simple carbohydrates and sugar
Heart-pumping exercise makes cells more sensitive to insulin, which means cells are more able to take up glucose from the blood as they should. Reducing stress and getting enough rest reduces high adrenalin levels — a contributing factor to high blood sugar levels. Lastly, there is some evidence that simple carbs convert more easily to sugar (in the bloodstream) than other foods such as complex (high-fiber) carbs and protein-based foods.
Special Challenges for Women
Insulin issues can be particularly challenging for women since resistance to insulin often begins to appear during peri-menopause or full-blown menopause. Women especially need to talk to their physician about their weight loss and exercise challenges and develop a workable plan toward reducing their fasting blood sugar and A1C tests back to a normal, healthy range.
