Saturday 4 May 2013

How The Body Works Reverse Insulin Resistance

By Wanda Vaughn


Millions of people all over the world suffer with insulin resistance. It is commonly known as impaired glucose tolerance. This condition is a pre-diabetic stage that can take years to develop but once it does it can rapidly progress into diabetes. There are ways in which to reverse insulin resistance but first you must fully understand what it is and what causes it.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas in order to transport blood glucose to all cells in the body. It is used to metabolize sugars and carbohydrates to produce energy for cells. When the muscles, fat and liver cells stop responding to insulin, the blood glucose levels increase and stay high. The higher the glucose levels the more the pancreas works to produce this hormone, overworking the pancreas and spiking blood glucose levels.

The actual exact known cause for this condition is not known; however, it has been found that certain medications and genetics contribute to the onset of insulin resistance. It has also been found that there are higher risks for onset in people that have high stress levels, ongoing illnesses, women that are pregnant, people that use steroid and people that are overweight or obese. Other factures that play into this condition are high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides.

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 best way to prevent diabetes or impaired glucose levels is to make sure you consume a low glycemic diet, maintain a healthy weight, manage stress levels and exercise regularly. These are areas you can control when trying to reduce the risk for this condition; however there is one area no one can control and that is genetics.

The more you know and understand about this condition, the better chances you have at reverse insulin resistance and preventing diabetes. The most important thing that you can do for yourself is to take the precautions and following the suggestions for prevention. Once impaired glucose levels have advanced into the diabetic stage, it can cause unwanted problems and complications for an individual.




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