Insulin Resistance: The Silent Epidemic
I guess I’ve heard it in the background of my medical career for the last 20 years. It started off as a whisper in the early 2000s when I read an article in medical school about the diabetes epidemic, I vividly recall graph showing the inflection point of diabetes coinciding with the introduction of refined sugar into the diet. I remember feeling flabbergasted that about 15% of the population was either insulin resistant (pre-diabetic is what we called it then) or overtly diabetic.
Throughout my training and my years as an attending the statistics and projection models seem to have grossly underestimated just how prevalent this problem is or where it’s going.
When you combine the 38 million Americans have diabetes parentheses 11% of the population) and 96 million are insulin resistant parentheses 38%), you quickly surmise that almost exactly 1/2 or 49.1% of the US US population cannot handle sugar properly or more accurately is no longer sensitive to insulin!
From a a slightly higher perspective;
it appears that Our Lifestyle, Food and Environmental factors have degraded our metabolism to a point where our bodies no longer know how to extract nutrients from the environment, a basic biological function of every organism.
The causes of this metabolic derangement are due to excesses on one hand and deficiencies on the other.
Excessive sedentary lifestyle, excessive stress, excessive weight, excessive alcohol and refined sugar consumption and deficiencies in exercise, high-quality protein, fats, fiber and proper sleep.
Each cause deserves its own long conversation, but what I’m interested now is action!
So what I’ll do now is provide the top five ways to improve your insulin resistance?!!
The following percentages provide a rough estimation of how these factors might contribute, relative to each other, to improving insulin sensitivity:
1. **Resistance Training (30-35%)**:
– **Reasoning**: Resistance training, Lifting Weights or Bands significantly enhances muscle mass, which directly improves glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity. Studies have shown that regular resistance training can improve insulin sensitivity by 13-48% in individuals with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes .
2. **Aerobic Exercise (25-30%)**:
– **Reasoning**: Aerobic exercise, such as walking, running, or cycling, has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. It works by increasing the number of glucose transporters in muscles, which helps in better glucose utilization and reduced insulin resistance .
3. **Dietary Modifications (20-25%)**:
– **Reasoning**: A diet high in fiber, low in refined carbs, and with adequate protein and healthy fats is crucial for maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Studies indicate that dietary changes alone can reduce HbA1c levels by 0.5-2% and improve insulin sensitivity significantly .
4. **Weight Management (15-20%)**:
– **Reasoning**: Weight loss, particularly visceral fat reduction, plays a critical role in improving insulin sensitivity. Losing 5-10% of body weight can lead to a substantial improvement in insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance .
5. **Consistent Sleep Patterns and Stress Management (5-10%)**:
– **Reasoning**: Sleep quality and stress levels affect insulin resistance through hormonal regulation. While not as impactful as exercise or diet, improving sleep and managing stress can still contribute to better insulin sensitivity by reducing cortisol levels and improving overall metabolic health .
These percentages are relative estimates and can vary depending on individual circumstances such as baseline health, the severity of insulin resistance, and adherence to interventions. Combining these strategies typically yields the best results for reducing insulin resistance and managing blood sugar levels effectively.
The US population is at a tipping point, from a metabolic perspective, and although the current obesity tracker has us at 2/3 of the population (likely an early signal of insulin resistance), I remain optimistic because more and more people, more more specialties, more and more advocates of health realizing that the most impactful things to do for your health are usually the easiest and don’t require a lot of money or fancy equipment, all it needs is you!
