Resisting insulin resistance (Roizen article)

Insulin resistance develops when your body is unable to produce enough insulin or respond appropriately to it after you eat, so blood sugar levels go up and stay up instead of being brought back down by the hormone.

The condition is associated with pre-diabetes and then full-blown Type 2 diabetes. It usually happens because you don’t walk (or its equivalent) enough. Aim for 10,000 steps a day.

It can also happen because of obesity, unmanaged stress, poor sleep habits, and/or eating overly processed foods and having elevated triglycerides and lousy LDL cholesterol. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease also increases the risk.

Possible indications that you have insulin resistance include a waistline over 40 inches (men) or 35 inches (women); blood pressure of 130/80 or higher; skin tags or acanthosis nigricans; fasting glucose level of 100 mg/dL or more; an A1C between 5.7% and 6.3%; fasting triglycerides level over 150 mg/dL and an HDL below 40 mg/dL (men) and 50mg/dL (women). For many folks, it’s smart to be tested for pre-diabetes every five years starting at age 20; everyone should test every three years after age 45.

To reverse insulin resistance, you need 150-300 minutes of moderate-intense aerobics weekly, resistance exercises twice a week; a plant-based diet; stress management; a healthy sleep routine; and healthy weight maintenance.