Over time, though, insulin resistance tends to get worse, and the pancreatic beta cells that make insulin can wear out.

Eventually, the pancreas no longer produces enough insulin to overcome the cells' resistance. The result is higher blood glucose levels, and ultimately prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Insulin has other roles in the body besides regulating blood glucose levels, and the effects of insulin resistance are thought to go beyond diabetes. For example, some research has shown that insulin resistance, independent of diabetes, is associated with heart disease.

Scientists are beginning to get a better understanding of how insulin resistance develops. For starters, several genes have been identified that make a person more or less likely to develop the condition. It's also known that older people are more prone to insulin resistance.

Lifestyle can play a role, too. Being sedentary, overweight or obese increases the risk for insulin resistance.

It's not clear, but some researchers theorize that extra fat tissue may cause inflammation, physiological stress or other changes in the cells that contribute to insulin resistance.

There may even be some undiscovered factor produced by fat tissue, perhaps a hormone, that signals the body to become insulin resistant. Doctors don't usually test for insulin resistance as a part of standard diabetes care.

In clinical research, however, scientists may look specifically at measures of insulin resistance, often to study potential treatments for insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. They typically administer a large amount of insulin to a subject while at the same time delivering glucose to the blood to keep levels from dipping too low.

The less glucose needed to maintain normal blood glucose levels, the greater the insulin resistance. Insulin resistance comes in degrees.

The more insulin resistant a person with type 2 is, the harder it will be to manage their diabetes because more medication is needed to get enough insulin in the body to achieve target blood glucose levels.

Insulin resistance isn't a cause of type 1 diabetes, but people with type 1 who are insulin resistant will need higher insulin doses to keep their blood glucose under control than those who are more sensitive to insulin. As with type 2, people with type 1 may be genetically predisposed to become insulin resistant, or they may develop resistance due to being overweight.

Some research indicates that insulin resistance is a factor in cardiovascular disease and other complications in people with type 1. While fighting an invisible foe can feel frustrating and discouraging, know that you are not alone. There are effective tactics to combat insulin resistance.

Insulin acts like a key to let blood sugar into cells for use as energy. Insulin, Blood Sugar, and Type 2 Diabetes Insulin is a key player in developing type 2 diabetes. Here are the high points: The food you eat is broken down into blood sugar.

Blood sugar enters your bloodstream, which signals the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin also signals the liver to store blood sugar for later use. Blood sugar enters cells, and levels in the bloodstream decrease, signaling insulin to decrease too.

But this finely tuned system can quickly get out of whack, as follows: A lot of blood sugar enters the bloodstream. The pancreas pumps out more insulin to get blood sugar into cells. The pancreas keeps making more insulin to try to make cells respond. Do You Have Insulin Resistance?

What Causes Insulin Resistance? How to Reverse Insulin Resistance If you have insulin resistance, you want to become the opposite—more insulin sensitive cells are more effective at absorbing blood sugar so less insulin is needed. Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes Features CDCDiabetes on Twitter CDC Diabetes on Facebook.

Last Reviewed: June 20, Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. home Diabetes Home. To receive updates about diabetes topics, enter your email address: Email Address.

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In a study , 16 healthy people who were not getting sufficient sleep extended their sleep by 1 hour per day for 6 weeks. This extra sleep increased insulin sensitivity. Recent research suggests that replacing carbohydrates with unsaturated fats may improve insulin sensitivity in some people.

A study investigated the effects of a low carbohydrate diet on insulin sensitivity in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes. The researchers concluded that eating a diet low in carbohydrates can help improve insulin sensitivity in people with a BMI of over 30 or those with other risk factors for diabetes, such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

However, a more recent review from suggested that a low carbohydrate diet might actually increase insulin resistance, especially if a person is not losing body weight while following the diet.

Although this fiber is a type of carbohydrate, the body cannot break it down fully. As a result, it does not contribute to spikes in blood glucose levels. Soluble fiber also delays gastric emptying, which is the time it takes for a meal to leave the stomach and enter the small intestine.

A small study suggests that this delay may help decrease blood glucose levels after meals in people with type 2 diabetes.

Intermittent fasting is a type of diet that focuses on the timing of meals rather than the specific foods in the diet.

It may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes for certain people. A review investigated the effects of two methods of intermittent fasting in overweight and obese adults.

The first involved restricting calorie intake for 1—3 days per week and eating freely on the remaining days. As with a daily calorie-restricted diet, the researchers found that both types of intermittent fasting reduced insulin resistance.

However, this type of eating had no meaningful effect on blood glucose levels, so the authors concluded that more research is necessary. In addition to changing the foods in their diet, people looking to increase their insulin sensitivity may benefit from taking dietary supplements. Taking probiotics or omega-3 fatty acid supplements may improve insulin sensitivity in people who are overweight.

A clinical trial investigated the effects of both omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics on insulin sensitivity in 60 adults who were overweight but otherwise healthy. The researchers reported that taking either a probiotic or omega-3 supplement for 6 weeks led to significant improvements in insulin sensitivity in comparison with a placebo.

The increase in insulin sensitivity was even greater in those who took both supplements together. Learn everything you need to know about probiotics.

Magnesium supplements may also be beneficial for people wanting to improve their insulin sensitivity. A systematic review found that taking magnesium supplements for more than 4 months significantly improved insulin resistance in people with and without diabetes.

Read more about magnesium glycinate, a popular supplement. Resveratrol is a natural compound that occurs in the skin of red grapes. It is also available as a dietary supplement. A meta-analysis of 11 studies found that taking resveratrol supplements significantly improved glucose control and insulin sensitivity in people with diabetes.

However, the researchers did not observe the same effects in people without diabetes. They concluded that there is a need for more research on the effects of resveratrol supplementation in humans. Low insulin sensitivity is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.

Exercising well, getting enough sleep, and eating a nutritious diet high in unsaturated fats and soluble fiber may help improve insulin sensitivity in people with and without diabetes.

Certain dietary supplements may also be beneficial. There are some signs of insulin resistance that your doctor may look for. These includes a waistline over 40 inches in men, and a waistline over 35 inches in women. Skin tags or patches of dark velvety skin called acanthosis nigricans.

A blood pressure reading of over 80 or higher. A fasting glucose level equal or above milligrams per deciliter. Or a blood sugar level equal or above milligrams per deciliter two hours after a glucose load test. An A1C between 5. A fasting triglycerides level over milligram per deciliter.

And an HDL cholesterol level under 40 milligrams per deciliter in men, and an HDL cholesterol level under 50 milligrams per deciliter in women. Or more recently, a blood test called hemoglobin glycosylated A1C, often simply referred to as A1C.

Reversing insulin resistance and preventing type two diabetes is possible through lifestyle changes, medication, or sometimes both. Healthy bodies come in different shapes and sizes. Losing weight through drastic means can be dangerous and counterproductive. Instead, get ideas from a doctor or a nutritionist about ways to incorporate healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and lean proteins into your meals.

Also, consider incorporating exercise and movement into your day-to-day life in ways that make you feel good. Even though permanently defeating insulin resistance isn't always possible, you can help your body to be more receptive to insulin. Listen to your body, reduce stress, give it the nutrition and activity it desires.

If you'd like to learn even more about insulin resistance, watch our other related videos or visit mayoclinic.

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Products and services. What are the symptoms? For some, a general low-carb diet may work best, while for others, it will depend on various other lifestyle and dietary factors. The best way to figure this out is to take an individualized approach. It can mean working with your nutritionist, using a device like a continuous glucose monitor to monitor your glucose levels, or DIY-ing the process yourself with a meal journal and health tracker.

Optimizing carbohydrate consumption can be a great approach to take at the beginning while you work with your healthcare team to get to the root of the issue, which is encouraging your body to respond to the insulin.

That said, some foods will unsurprisingly result in suboptimal responses. This can also help with better glucose levels as you try other tips to help your body respond to insulin. This tip will help your body respond to insulin. Do you get enough physical activity?

It helps prevent more than just weight gain! A large body of research has shown that exercise increases insulin sensitivity. Moreover, exercise can also increase muscle mass, and increased muscle mass takes more glucose out of the blood and into the cells.

And the weight loss you experience from exercise will also help boost insulin sensitivity. Protein helps prevent glucose spikes by slowing down digestion. But too much protein can backfire and reduce insulin sensitivity.

Similarly, a diet high in fat and refined carbohydrates can contribute to insulin resistance too. However, pairing your carbohydrates with a little bit of fat can help with improving blood glucose levels.

The key is to focus on finding the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats for your unique body. This where an individualized approach either with a CGM, dietitian, or both can help. Chronic inflammation creates an environment where many harmful molecules prevent your body from responding to insulin.

One reason for inflammation is high body fat levels since adipose tissue holds onto inflammatory molecules. And as we mentioned, losing weight through exercise is a great way to reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.

Another way is to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle, including focusing on antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, cutting down on trans fatty acids, avoiding spending too much time in polluted areas, reducing exposure to obesogens , and engaging in healthier habits.

We discuss some of these habits below! Spending time in the sun for a safe length of time is one healthy lifestyle habit that can improve vitamin D levels and insulin sensitivity. One study found that getting an adequate amount of bright sunshine was linked to reduced insulin resistance.

The researchers illustrated this link by showing that healthy sun exposure resulted in decreased fasting insulin levels. And sunlight exposure was also found to improve LDL, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, helping to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in this study.

Yet another healthy lifestyle habit that is tied to eating antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables! Antioxidants are a type of micronutrient that help to eliminate harmful inflammatory and stressful molecules from the body.

Too much stress can encourage insulin resistance.