What is insulin resistance in plain words?
Insulin is the key that lets sugar out of the blood and into cells. Insulin resistance means the locks have gotten rusty: the same key turns less, so the body makes more and more insulin to force the door.
For years that extra insulin keeps sugar looking normal while pressure builds behind the scenes. Fatigue after carbs, belly weight, skin tags and dark velvety patches at the neck are common outward hints.
It is highly reversible with muscle-building movement, walking after meals, better sleep and modest weight loss, which is exactly why catching it early beats treating diabetes later.
Source: American Diabetes Association, Standards of Care in Diabetes
See a doctor promptly if
- Excessive thirst, passing large amounts of urine, blurred vision or unexplained weight loss. These suggest blood sugar is already well above the prediabetes range
- Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, deep rapid breathing or a fruity smell on the breath: go to an emergency department
- A random blood glucose of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher, or a fasting glucose of 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher
- New numbness, burning or pins and needles in both feet
- A wound on the foot that is not healing, or a skin or genital infection that keeps returning
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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