What Is Insulin Resistance?
Scientifically, Insulin Resistance or Syndrome-X is a decreased ability to use insulin to transport glucose into the body's cells where it is needed for energy production. Insulin Resistance occurs as a result of the pancreas trying to compensate for the cells' glucose deprivation by producing more insulin eventually oversaturating the cells ability to react to the increased insulin and making it become resistant to the positive blood sugar lowering effects of insulin.
Insulin Resistance is a warning signal that the body is having problems processing dietary carbohydrates and sugars and it is characteristic of pre-diabetes. Patients with early or moderate Insulin Resistance often don't have any symptoms, but if their condition is ignored, it puts them at a much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia (high Cholesterol), and/or heart disease several years down the road. (These four conditions make up what is called Syndrome-X or Insulin Resistance Syndrome).
I believe that Yo-Yo dieting and low fat diets are two of the triggers that began the current obesity epidemic because these unhealthy and unbalanced diets laid the foundation for us becoming insulin resistant. During the low fat diet craze, Natural fats in food were replaced with artery clogging hydrogrenated fats and sugar and in some cases man-made hydrogenated sugar (high fructose corn syrup) and I believe that this is a contributing cause of Insulin Resistance sometimes known as Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X.
Too much insulin, due to Insulin Resistance, inhibits your body’s ability to burn fat regardless of how much you diet or exercise. Insulin Resistance is the primary reason for the majority of expanding waistlines. In short, Insulin Resistance tells your brain to eat, eat, eat, while your body is saying store, store, store the fat.
