Alester Brown

Can Insulin Resistance Cause Diabetes?

Insulin is a hormone that your body produces to convert blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, into energy for your organs and tissue. When your body is unable to utilize insulin properly, this condition is referred to as insulin resistance.

Over time, insulin resistance may lead to diabetes, a chronic condition in which too much glucose remains in the blood due to disruptions in insulin processing or production. When someone is diabetic, they may experience organ damage, nerve dysfunction and possibly even death if the condition goes untreated.

What Causes Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance can happen due to several factors, but diet and weight management can heavily influence the body's ability to process insulin. Being overweight and eating a diet heavy in sugar can cause diabetes and insulin resistance, but there are diseases and medical disorders that can lead to insulin processing concerns as well.

Polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) is one condition that can lead to difficulty with insulin processing. Insulin resistance from PCOD may affect a woman's ability to manage blood glucose, and insulin resistance from PCOD typically requires management by a healthcare provider since diet and exercise alone may not be enough to treat insulin concerns in PCOD.

Certain hormone disorders or diseases of the pancreas can also lead to difficulties in processing or producing insulin sufficiently. These conditions will also require medical treatment since pancreatic disorders are often complex and hormone disorders may require treatment using various hormone replacement therapies.

Managing Diabetic Symptoms

If you've been diagnosed with diabetes, it's important to work with your doctor to create a treatment plan that involves ways to manage symptoms. Diabetes can be reversed in some cases, but even when this is possible, someone with diabetes will want to manage their symptoms as they work toward full reversal.

As stated above, diet and exercise are key in this, but medications may also be used to treat diabetic symptoms. Some diabetes sufferers also find that wearing compression socks can mitigate peripheral nerve problems, and regular blood sugar monitoring through test strips or a continuous glucose monitoring system may also help.

Author Resource:-

Alester Brown is a certified PCOS specialist. She advises people on personalized women's healthcare and skin treatment at home. You can find her thoughts at PCOS causes blog.