Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, Fat, and Liver don’t respond well to insulin and can’t use glucose from your Blood for energy. To make up for it, your Pancreas makes more insulin. Over time, your blood sugar levels go up.
Insulin resistance syndrome includes a group of problems like obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. It could affect as many as 1 in 3 Americans. You might also hear it called metabolic syndrome.
Symptoms of Insulin Resistance
You can't tell that you have insulin resistance by how you feel. You'll need to get a blood test that checks your blood sugar levels.
Likewise, you won’t know if you have most of the other conditions that are part of insulin resistance syndrome (high blood pressure, low "good" cholesterol levels, and high triglycerides) without seeing your doctor.
Some signs of insulin resistance include:
A waistline over 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women
Blood pressure readings of 130/80 or higher
A fasting glucose level over 100 mg/dL
A fasting triglyceride level over 150 mg/dL
A HDL cholesterol level under 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women
Skin tags
Patches of dark, velvety skin called acanthosis nigricans
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