Diagnosing Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance occurs among many people and this condition makes them susceptible to not only diabetes but also heart diseases. To this day studies have not determined the cause for insulin resistance. As for the symptoms, they are hardly noticeable. Fortunately, doctors are able to diagnose insulin resistance with laboratory tests.
How to Diagnose Insulin Resistance ?
- Know that certain risk factors can bring about insulin resistance. Be aware of risk factors such as family history of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, low HDL and lipids( high level of triglycerides), with most of the fat at the abdomen, above the age of 40 as well as non-whites, like Asian , Native American, African, or Hispanic.
- A glucose tolerance test conducted after a 10 to 16 hour fast with only plain water consumed during the fast can determine if you have insulin resistance. In the test, blood is drawn out to get a starting point of your sugar level to compare with other levels. Then, you are given a certain liquid sweetened with 75 grams of sugar. Next, blood glucose levels from your body at certain intervals during a six hour period will be noted. For normal individuals, the glucose level is lower initially, rising fast during the first few hours and subsiding again gradually. If your doctor diagnosed insulin resistant in you, your glucose levels will always remain too high. Also, your tissues will not absorb the insulin produced by your pancreas totally.
- As insulin resistance usually show no symptoms, it is recommended that you consult your doctor if you have the risk factors given. Your doctor can conduct laboratory tests to make a correct diagnosis. (see Signs and Symptoms of Insulin Resistance)
- Knowledge is a tool to assist anyone in understanding insulin resistance and how it can affect the body. In insulin resistance, your body cells are unable to respond to insulin. When that happens, the pancreas increases its production of insulin. After some time, this results in high blood glucose levels, which is a condition known as diabetes.(see Hyperglycemia)
- Fasting for 12 hours will indicate your blood sugar level. For a normal person, his blood sugar level should be lower than 100 milligrams of sugar for a deciliter of blood. A sugar level of between 100 and 125 milligrams in a deciliter of blood concludes with a diagnosis of insulin resistance.
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*** Posted By Natasha A.Nada ***