What are insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome?
Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are very closely related. Some health professionals and scientists use the terms interchangeably, seeing them simply as different positions on a single scale of symptoms and disorders. Insulin resistance means the body is less capable of reacting to the effects of insulin, with muscle and fat tissues being particularly affected. The body compensates by producing more insulin, which can cause overstimulation of tissues that are still sensitive to insulin. Over time, this affects glucose metabolism, so that levels of glucose in the blood begin to rise. Insulin resistance impacts on fat metabolism as well, resulting in increased levels of triglycerides in the blood and decreased levels of HDL-cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). In addition it can increase sodium retention, which causes blood pressure to increase. It has been suggested that insulin resistance can cause a generalised inflammatory state in the body. Insulin resistance is thought to
