{"id":21864,"date":"2024-01-04T04:18:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T03:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=21864"},"modified":"2024-01-08T04:19:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T03:19:39","slug":"insulin-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/insulin-resistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Insulin Resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blood sugar has been one of the hottest topics in the world of health and wellness lately. <\/span>Blood sugar regulation<\/span><\/a> doesn\u2019t just apply to people with <\/span>diabetes<\/span><\/a> or who are pre-diabetic. Everyone has blood sugar and can benefit from understanding how it works so they can better care for their body.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One crucial component of blood sugar is the hormone insulin. The term \u201cinsulin resistance\u201d is thrown around a lot in the blood sugar conversation, but can be confusing to grasp. We\u2019re here to clear up the confusion and break down insulin resistance so you can make the best choices for your health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is insulin?<\/h2>\n

Before you can understand insulin resistance, you have to get to know the hormone insulin and what it does in your body. It does this by turning food into energy and managing blood sugar levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Insulin is a hormone that is made by your pancreas and is essential for energy regulation in the body. Sugar, in this case glucose, is an essential fuel source for the body. Glucose is found in the food you eat but is also stored in the body and released over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Insulin is often compared to a key, while the cells in your body are the doors that it opens. When insulin opens the doors to your cells, it moves glucose from your bloodstream into those cells so that the glucose can be used for energy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Insulin also tells the liver to store blood sugar so that it can be used later. When insulin levels are low, which can happen if you haven\u2019t eaten for a while, it signals to the liver to release this stored blood sugar so that energy is available.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you can imagine, insulin is essential for your health and day-to-day well-being. Several health conditions can impact your body\u2019s ability to use insulin effectively, one being insulin resistance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Insulin resistance 101<\/h2>\n

When too much blood sugar enters the bloodstream, the pancreas works hard to get more insulin into the body so that it can move more blood sugar into your cells. When this happens on a regular basis, cells become less responsive or stop responding to insulin. This is insulin resistance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This creates a slippery slope for further health complications. It can be incredibly damaging to have too much blood sugar in the bloodstream, potentially affecting your tissues, organs, blood vessels, and nerves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers and medical providers aren\u2019t exactly sure what causes insulin resistance, but some factors may increase your risk of developing it:<\/span><\/p>\n