How To Prevent And Reverse Insulin Resistance

By Wanda Vaughn


Understanding what impaired glucose tolerance, also known as insulin resistance, is important. There are approximately 57 million people in the world that have this pre diabetic condition. The condition can take many years to develop; therefore, knowing how to prevent and reverse insulin resistance can help reduce the risk of full blown diabetes.

The pancreas produces the insulin hormone. This hormone is used to metabolize carbohydrates and sugars to carry glucose to the cells in the body so they can obtain energy. When the cells no longer respond to the hormone and cannot obtain energy, the glucose levels in the blood become elevated. This is hard on the pancreas because it becomes overworked trying to produce more hormones in response.

Something that affects so many people should be easy to find the causes; however, the actual cause is not known. There are a few things such as medications and genetics that seem to be big contributors to this condition. The risk seem to be higher for people that have high stress, ongoing sickness, are obese, use steroids, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides or women that are pregnant.

People can watch for signs of the condition. These signs include such things as fatigue, mood changes, weigh gain, irritability, jitters, and changes with memory or thoughts being unclear, patches of dark skin, hypoglycemia, and hypertension. If you are experiencing any symptoms your doctor or clinic can do a blood test to see if your glucose levels are elevated or abnormal.

Prevention is possible and you can also reverse insulin retention with some natural remedies. The main things to concentrate on are a healthy weight, eating foods that score low on the glycemic index and reducing stress levels. Your diet should consist of foods high in fiber and low in refined sugars and saturated fats. Foods that fall into this category include fruits, vegetables and lean protein. These foods do not require as much of the hormone to metabolize therefore the pancreas does not get overworked. When looking for low glycemic index foods remember the more fiber content the lower the food will fall on the glycemic index.

Foods such as white flour, white bread, cake, candy, pastries, cookies and white rice are high glycemic index foods. These foods cause spikes in the blood glucose levels which in turn overworks the pancreas because they need more insulin in order to metabolize the foods. Potatoes are also one of the high glycemic index foods; however in small quantities and with the skins they fall lower on the glycemic index. Other things to avoid are beverages or foods with sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Even whole fruit juices should be drank in moderation because they have concentrated natural sugars. As a rule of thumb, anything with the word white should be avoided or consumed in limited quantities.

The things in which a person can control to help reduce the risk of this condition and help to prevent the onset of diabetes is simple. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating foods that score low on the glycemic index, exercising regularly and decreasing their stress levels. The one thing that cannot be controlled in prevention is genetics. Family history cannot be changed and neither can genetic makeup.

Prevention is the key to preventing diabetes and to reverse insulin resistance. Knowing what can trigger the condition and understanding the steps in which to take in order to try and reduce your risk is important. The more you know and understand about the condition and how to reduce your risk, the more likely you are to live a longer and healthier life.




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