Insulin resistance, prediabetes, diabetes, what's the difference?
With the rise of type 2 diabetes, many terms associated with it have become common, such as insulin resistance, prediabetes, and diabetes. Learn the difference between them in this article, and how insulin resistance and prediabetes can be reversed and type 2 diabetes can be cured through lifestyle changes.
insulin resistance
Insulin regulates blood glucose (sugar) levels. It is a hormone produced by the pancreas and performs its function by the following mechanism:
After eating a meal, the body breaks it down into glucose (sugar), which is the body's main source of energy.
Glucose enters the bloodstream, which sends a signal to the pancreas to release insulin.
Insulin moves glucose from the blood into liver, muscle, and fat cells, so they can use it for energy or store it for later use.
When glucose enters the cells, its levels in the blood decrease, which sends a signal to the pancreas to stop producing insulin.
When cells in the muscles, liver, and fat cells do not respond properly to insulin, this leads to insulin resistance, also known as poor insulin sensitivity.
There are several reasons why cells in muscles, liver, and fat cells don't respond properly to insulin, meaning they can't absorb glucose from the blood or store it efficiently. As a result, the pancreas produces more insulin to try to cope with the increased blood sugar levels. This is called hyperinsulinemia.
As long as the pancreas can produce enough insulin to overcome the cells' weak response to insulin, blood sugar levels will remain within the normal range. However, when cells become severely resistant to insulin, this leads to blood sugar levels that are above normal, which leads to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Symptoms of insulin resistance
There are no symptoms of insulin resistance when the pancreas can cope with the insulin resistance by increasing insulin production to maintain blood sugar levels within the normal range. However, over time, insulin resistance can increase to the point where the pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance. In this case, symptoms of high blood sugar appear, which are:
Increased thirst.
Frequent urination.
Increased hunger.
headache
Blurred vision.
Delayed healing of wounds and ulcers.
Vaginal and skin infections.
Reversing insulin resistance
Insulin resistance has several causes and contributing factors. While lifestyle changes, such as following a healthy, low-carb diet, losing excess weight, and exercising regularly, can reduce insulin resistance and increase insulin sensitivity, it's important to talk with your doctor and nutritionist to discuss possible options for reversing insulin resistance.
How does diet affect insulin resistance?
Diet significantly affects blood sugar and insulin levels. High-carbohydrate and processed foods require higher insulin levels, and consuming foods with a low to moderate glycemic index can help reverse and/or manage insulin resistance.
Prediabetes
It is a health condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes, and it causes an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Prediabetes can be stopped and its progression to type 2 diabetes can be prevented through lifestyle modifications that include following a low-carb diet, losing excess weight, and getting regular moderate exercise.
Prediabetes symptoms
It is possible to have prediabetes without showing any symptoms for several years.
It often goes undetected until serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes develop, so it's important to have your blood sugar tested if you have any of the risk factors for diabetes, which include:
Weight gain.
Age over 45 years.
Having a family history of diabetes.
Laziness and lack of physical activity.
Exercising less than 3 times a week.
Gestational diabetes.
Giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
Polycystic ovary syndrome.
If you have prediabetes, you can reverse it and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes and a healthy lifestyle, which includes the following three steps:
Low-carb diet
This means avoiding sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods, eating fruits in moderation and plenty of vegetables, and eating foods rich in protein and foods rich in healthy fats such as fatty fish, nuts, and olive oil.
Losing excess weight
This means losing about 5% to 7% of your body weight, which is only 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person.
regular physical activity
This means doing at least 150 minutes of brisk walking or similar activity per week. This means just 30 minutes per day, five days a week.
What is the difference between insulin resistance, prediabetes, and diabetes?
Insulin resistance can occur temporarily or chronically, but chronic insulin resistance, if left untreated, leads to prediabetes and then type 2 diabetes.
Normal fasting blood sugar values: 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) and 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L).
Prediabetes: If your fasting blood sugar is between 100 and 125 mg/dL (5.6 and 6.9 mmol/L), lifestyle changes and regular blood sugar monitoring are necessary.
Diabetes: If your fasting blood sugar is 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22206-insulin-resistance