Can insulin resistance be reversed?
Nowadays, insulin resistance is a state influencing more than millions of people globally. For burning the stored fat and building the endurance to survive the environmental stressors, a person’s body’s cells are required to produce energy. A fraction of the energy production, as well as its storage in the body, relies on insulin. A person’s body creates insulin to keep the blood glucose at stable levels. Consuming or drinking, responding to stress, exercising, all help in stimulating the beta cells present in the pancreas to liberate insulin to keep the sugar levels under check. When the body fails to react to insulin the way it must, the body cells fail to receive enough sugar content from the bloodstream that they require for producing energy. This is called insulin resistance. Normal blood sugar level can be achieved with the help of expert diabetologists and dieticians. Book your appointment now with a Breathe Well-being diabetes expert.
What occurs in a person’s body while insulin resistant?
For numerous reasons, body cells might stop reacting to insulin in the way they should. Rather than being sensitive to the insulin effects, this is the objective for better metabolic health, body cells become resistant to the insulin effects. When there is insulin resistance, glucose stays in the blood, resulting in high blood glucose. The pancreas would try fighting off the resistance by liberating more insulin to bring down the glucose level in the blood. With time, as insulin resistance deteriorates, added insulin won’t constitute the weak reaction of the body cells. The blood glucose would remain chronically high, a state called hyperglycemia, and may leave a person susceptible to complications including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor blood circulation, stroke, coronary artery disease, metabolic syndrome, and prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Insulin resistance may result from lifestyle modifications, particular illnesses, and steroid use, such as:
- Chronic stress: Stress leads to a declining insulin response. The high sugar content may cause enhanced production of reactive oxygen species. This may make it difficult for the body cells to change the stored sugar in the muscles and fat tissue into energy.
- Being obese, chiefly apple-shaped bodies: The association between obesity as well as insulin resistance is found across all ethnic groups. Carry too much fat around one’s waistline as compared to the bum and a person can be at a greater risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular problems.
- Excessive sitting, not enough motion: A inactive lifestyle with slight physical activity is found to be linked to insulin resistance, increased blood pressure, and higher HDL cholesterol levels.
- Diet containing mostly refined carbs, extra sugar, and processed foods: It was found that too much sucrose, glucose, fructose content may give rise to blood glucose imbalance and insulin resistance. It is better to have a diet rich in plants, whole foods, and low in sugar and ultra-processed packaged goods.
- Smoking: Nicotine may promote insulin resistance.
Can Insulin Resistance Be Reversed?
A loud yes, it is possible to reverse insulin resistance. As per a study, insulin resistance might simply be the result of additional energy in the body cells over many years. To reverse this problem, it is good to burn the stored energy in the cells. In addition, embrace a lifestyle supportive of avoiding the issue of insulin resistance. Book your appointment with a Breathe Well-being Diabetes expert to reverse type 2 diabetes naturally.
Jumping on to reversing the insulin resistance
- It is a must to move the body for at least half an hour each day. Exercise, any type, intensity, and duration enhance insulin sensitivity and aids in stabilizing the sugar content even after a person has stopped exercising.
- Trim down, particularly if there is excess fat around the waist. Shedding weight helps in improving insulin sensitivity and lowering the risk of heart problems.
- Follow an eating plan to reverse insulin resistance and avoid its recurrence.
Reverse Insulin Resistance via Diet
It is better to add some polyphenol-, epicatechin-, and anthocyanin-consisting food products to one’s diet. Rank low-glycemic foods in suitable portions. Low GI nutrition plans help to enhance body fat loss as well as decrease the risk of heart problems. Eat more and more fruits and veggies.
- Polyphenols are present in several fruits and veggies such as oranges, berries, apples, apricots, cherries, spinach, carrots, onions, asparagus, broccoli, seeds and nuts like walnuts, almonds, and spices like cumin, saffron, cinnamon, cloves, etc.
- Epicatechin concentrations are high in cherries, pears, apples, raspberries, blackberries, black grapes, broad beans, dark chocolate, etc.
- Foods containing high amounts of anthocyanins include cranberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, purple cabbage, eggplant, etc.
Thus, when a person’s insulin sensitivity is low, pressure is put on the pancreas to increase the production of insulin to clear glucose from the bloodstream. Also, low insulin sensitivity might lead to chronically high glucose levels, found to enhance the risk of illnesses like diabetes and heart problems. Luckily, there are several things a person can do by which his or her insulin sensitivity can be increased, reversing the insulin resistance as well.