Many people have troubles when it comes to losing weight, but what they don’t know is that insulin resistance plays a big role in this problem. Continue reading this article to find out whether you are at a risk for insulin resistance.
DIAGNOSING INSULIN RESISTANCE
In order to discover whether you are dealing with insulin resistance, the doctors usually prescribe the following 4 tests:
- Waist Circumference
This test is the simplest among all the others because you can diagnose an insulin resistance just by your waist measurement. For instance, if your waist is greater than 35 inches, you are probably dealing with insulin resistance.
- Fasting Glucose Levels
You probably have insulin resistance if your blood sugar is higher than 75-100 mg/ dl after you have faster for a couple of hours.
- Fasting Insulin Levels
This test measures the levels of insulin in the blood after fasting instead of glucose and if your insulin level is higher than 10 uIU/ml, you are most likely dealing with insulin resistance.
- Glucose Tolerance Tests
This test is more complex than the other ones since it requires several test bloods throughout the day. Due to the fact that glucose tolerance test is most commonly performed because the doctor suspects of diabetes or hypoglycemia, you should definitely get your insulin levels checked as well.
As we previously mentioned, the tests usually provide false-positives and false-negatives, which is why it is recommended to do a simple self-test by filling out simple symptom questionnaire. All you have to do is to put a check by the items that apply to you and in case you score high, it is very likely that you have blood sugar and insulin issues.
21 SYMPTOMS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE
- The feeling that you are addicted to carbohydrates
- The feeling that you are powerless when it comes to dieting
- Jitteriness, difficulty thinking, headaches, nausea that goes away when you eat
- Hypoglycemia
- Afternoon fatigue
- A Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher
- You are least 15 pounds overweight
- Waist measurement of more than 53 inches
- A problem with weight gain even when eating small amounts of food
- Weight gain mostly around your waist
- Skin tags (small, painless, flappy skin growths) on your neck, chest, breasts, groin area, or underarms
- A history of irregular menstrual periods, especially skipping months
- A history of polycystic ovarian disease
- High triglyceride levels
- Low HDL-cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol) levels (less than 35 mg/dl)
- High LDL-cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) levels (more than130 mg/dl)
- Hypertension
- A family history of abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides, heart disease, diabetes, overweight problems, or stroke
- Having difficulties in the process of losing weight even when you are cutting back on your food intake
- Frequent cravings for sweet or salty, crunchy snack food
- The urge to eat frequently or eat excessive amounts of food
THE CAUSES OF INSULIN RESISTANCE
- Stress
- Inactivity, lack of good quality exercise
- Eating processed foods, sugary drinks, and sodas; foods containing high-fructose corn syrup; packaged low-fat foods; excess use of sugar, fake honey
- Insufficient protein intake and/or poor quality protein intake
- Inadequate fat intake and/or poor quality inflammatory fat intake
- Sluggish liver and/or excess toxins
- Aging, excess oxidative stress/free radical production
- Low fiber consumption
Insulin resistance will cause you to gain more weight and is will make it difficult for you to reduce it, but that is not all. Insulin resistance will also make you sick and prone to issues like anxiety, fatigue, inhibited cognitive function, excess sweating, weakness, poor concentration, irritability and brain fog.
THE SOLUTION TO INSULIN RESISTANCE
- Detox
In order to detox the liver, you should incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods in your diet, but also to eliminate inflammatory fats and carbohydrates.
- Metabolic Exercise
Make sure to incorporate metabolic exercise and balance macronutrients because they will help you restore metabolically active tissue.
- Lifestyle Changes
The key to reversing insulin resistance is transforming habits and making better and healthier lifestyle changes. For instance, you should avoid poor choices like alcohol, smoking, sleep deprivation and excess stress.
Source: besthealthyguide.com
