Is insulin resistance behind your symptoms?

It's often assumed that insulin resistance only becomes relevant once someone develops pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. But insulin resistance can start developing years earlier.🌻

It is rarely discussed in healthcare settings because it’s not usually measured directly, and tends to only come to attention once blood glucose levels start showing up as abnormal on routine blood tests.

But in reality, changes occur long before blood sugar levels appear abnormal, and the body may already be working harder to regulate glucose and energy. 🧡

This can show up as things like energy dips, cravings, difficulty maintaining healthy eating habits, or gradual changes in body composition, very subtle or "normal" symptoms, which mean the underlying changes are often ignored or missed by healthcare and the individual.

As a major risk factor for heart disease, with over 14,000 published studies linking insulin resistance to cardiovascular disease, the sooner you identify and address it, the better your long-term health outcomes are likely to be.

5 early signs of insulin resistance that often get missed

1️⃣ Fatigue after meals 😮‍💨

If you regularly feel tired after eating, particularly after carbohydrate-heavy meals, it may indicate that blood sugar and insulin are fluctuating more than they should.

2️⃣ Strong sugar or carbohydrate cravings

When blood sugar regulation becomes less stable, the body often looks for quick sources of energy. This can show up as frequent cravings for sugary foods or refined carbohydrates.

3️⃣ Changes in body composition

Insulin resistance often encourages the body to store more energy - mainly around your middle. 🍐 This can appear as gradual weight gain around the middle, AKA that muffin top. Even when overall weight hasn’t changed dramatically.

4️⃣ Energy highs and lows

Many people notice they feel energised after eating, followed by a noticeable drop in energy a few hours later. These fluctuations can be a sign that blood sugar regulation is becoming less stable.

5️⃣ “Normal” blood glucose doesn’t always mean everything is fine.

Standard blood tests usually look at fasting glucose or HBA1C (a measure of your long-term glucose levels), but insulin resistance can develop years before fasting glucose or HBA1C becomes abnormal. This means many people already have metabolic changes occurring while their tests still appear “normal”, and it's not highlighted until later stages, such as in pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Safeguarding your future

There are many things that can help improve insulin sensitivity, but the following is a great place to start.👇

• Not always necessary, but we can use testing to explore underlying imbalances affecting your health and goals.

• Eat lower-carbohydrate meals with adequate protein, lots of colourful fibre and healthy fats to support blood sugar stability and inflammation.

• Eat regularly and avoid long periods of under-eating followed by large meals.

• Move after meals to help the body use glucose more efficiently. A short walk within half an hour of eating helps your cells take up glucose more efficiently.

• Support sleep and work towards managing stress, both of which influence insulin sensitivity and metabolic regulation. Did you know high cortisol is shown to independently compromise insulin sensitivity (how sensitive your cells are to insulin and therefore the uptake of glucose from your bloodstream)

Small, consistent changes can make a huge difference over time, and if you are experiencing some of these signs, it may simply be your body signalling that blood sugar regulation needs a little more support. 💛

The encouraging part is that metabolism and insulin resistance are very responsive to nutrition and lifestyle! There is so much you can do to improve your situation.

If you'd like to understand how your symptoms may all be connected, you can download my Metabolic Foundations Guide below.👇

You can also get in touch with any questions, queries or feedback you want to share. Details below. 😊

Warmest regards,

Julie x

Helping you live a healthier, happier life

mBANT, CNHC Nutrition & Lifestyle Coaching

Specialising in Metabolic Health, Energy Regulation and Chronic Health Conditions.

https://www.julie-hodgson.com/contact

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