How do the symptoms of excess weight and obesity relate to Insulin Resistance?
An underlying factor in obesity is often the reversible imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance, which reduces the number of insulin receptor sites on the cell wall. These sites are required for the efficient conversion of glucose into energy. Healthy people can have 20,000 insulin receptor sites but Insulin Resistance sufferers may have as few as 5,000. A reduced number of receptor sites causes glucose to “bounce off” off the cell wall and be carried to the liver where it is converted to fat and stored throughout the body. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity. All Insulin Resistance-linked conditions significantly raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
