52% of obese adolescents are insulin resistant. 37% of adults in the U.S are insulin resistant.
Insulin resistance is a disease in which the body does not respond to insulin properly anymore. When you eat, the amount of insulin that would typically be enough to break down the glucose from your food simply isn’t sufficient enough anymore. This causes your pancreas to produce an excess of insulin.
People that have insulin resistance tend to struggle to lose weight because having high levels of insulin in your body makes it hard for fat to break down. High levels of insulin make you crave sugar because your body thinks you are starving because of the abnormally high levels of insulin in your body.
Insulin is a storage hormone that your body makes to break down carbohydrates into glucose and store it as fat. The amount of insulin that is secreted depends on how many carbohydrates you eat.
Insulin resistance CAN be managed. Limiting the amount of refined carbohydrates you eat and exercising are important steps to take to manage insulin resistance and lose weight.
