Insulin resistance is a term that’s become increasingly common in conversations about health and if you've been in our Facebook community for a minute, you've probably seen us talk about it. But what does it actually mean, why is it important, and—most importantly—can it be reversed? Let’s break it down.

What Is Insulin and Why Is It Important?

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that plays a key role in how your body uses energy. After you eat, your blood sugar (glucose) levels rise. In response, insulin helps your body’s cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream to be used for energy or stored for future use. Remember my key analogy from a previous lesson. Insulin is the key to getting the glucose out of your bloodstream and into the cell to be used as fuel.

So what is insulin resistance? And is it the same thing as insulin sensitivity? Let's go over the two:

Which Cells Are Affected by Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance primarily affects:

• Muscle cells – These are one of the most important sites for glucose uptake. If you have insulin resistance of your muscle cells, that means they take in less glucose, resulting in elevated blood sugar.
• Fat cells – These become less effective at storing fat properly as resistance increases, which leads to inflammation and more circulating fatty acids, worsening insulin resistance.
• Liver cells – These fail to suppress glucose production even when insulin is present, contributing to excess glucose in the bloodstream.

What Causes Insulin Resistance?

There are many causes of insulin resistance. Some are based on behaviors (like what you eat and your activity level). But some are not factors you can change. For example, many health conditions are linked with an increased risk of insulin resistance, such as:

• high blood pressure
• high triglycerides
• polycystic ovary syndrome
• Cushing's syndrome
• non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• heart disease
• acromegaly
• hypothyroidism
• and many more!

Some of these may be impacted in a positive way by making lifestyle changes (like blood pressure and triglycerides), but sometimes there are factors outside of our control.

If you have any past medical history and are now experiencing higher than normal glucose levels, it may be important to discuss whether your health conditions or medications you're using to manage those conditions are impacting your glucose in any way.

Can Insulin Resistance Be Reversed? [video!!!!]

The good news: Yes, insulin resistance can often be reversed or significantly improved, especially in its early stages.

Here’s how:

• Physical Activity
  • Exercise increases insulin sensitivity, particularly in muscle cells.
  • Both aerobic exercise and resistance training are effective.
  • Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.
• Healthy Diet
  • Choose whole foods: vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains.
  • Reduce intake of refined carbohydrates and added sugars when possible.
  • Eat on a regular schedule and space out your carbohydrate intake throughout the day.
  • Focus on eating more fiber and whole foods.
• Weight Loss or Weight Maintenance
  • Even a 5–10% reduction in body weight can improve insulin sensitivity dramatically.
  • If you are already at a normal weight, work to maintain your weight if that is your goal.
  • Consider how body composition also makes a difference. More lean muscle mass usually means better glucose metabolism.
  • Fat loss around the abdomen is especially helpful.
• Improve Sleep and Manage Stress
  • Poor sleep and chronic stress increase cortisol, which worsens insulin resistance.
  • Prioritize 7–9 hours of quality sleep and stress management techniques like meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, or yoga.
• Medication (if necessary)
  • In some cases, doctors may prescribe medications like metformin to help improve insulin sensitivity.
  • These are often used alongside lifestyle changes, not in place of them.

The thing to remember about insulin resistance is that it takes time to heal. While you may notice an immediate change in your glucose levels after you eat or even your A1c after 3 months, you may still have some degree of insulin resistance.

Continuing with healthy habits that are truly sustainable for you long term will help you reverse insulin resistance to the best of your ability and maintain better glucose management overall.

How to Test for Insulin Resistance

While it would be so nice to just have a quick and easy lab test that says "hey! You definitely have insulin resistance and it's to this degree!", that doesn't exactly exist yet! Instead, testing for insulin resistance comes in the form of looking at other lab results, and in some cases, doing some equations.

Let's look at how we can see where you are in terms of insulin resistance! Thankfully, you've probably already had most of the tests you need in order to get an idea of whether you have insulin resistance.

Fasting Plasma Glucose

This is the glucose test you take after fasting for at least 8 hours (usually overnight). You've likely already had this test done since it's very commonly part of the standard metabolic panel. This is also likely one of the tests that indicated you have prediabetes.

We want to see levels less than 100 mg/dL for the fasting glucose levels.

Fasting Insulin

This test is one that isn't commonly ordered as part of a standard metabolic panel. However, using the results of your fasting insulin test along with other lab results can help you gain a broader picture of whether insulin resistance is impacting you.

Higher fasting insulin levels may indicate insulin resistance.

Hemoglobin A1c

The hemoglobin A1c, sometimes abbreviated to "A1c", test is a non-fasting lab test that indicates how your glucose trends have been going over the past three months. This result is sort of like a report card. It doesn't tell you what your glucose is at any particular moment, but rather what it's been averaging over time.

This lab test is one of the common tests for diagnosing prediabetes and diabetes. We look for levels less than 5.7% for normal A1c.

Lipid Panel

Insulin resistance is commonly accompanied by low HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and high LDL (low density lipoprotein). You can also look for your triglyceride level, which if elevated can indicate that you are at higher risk of insulin resistance as well.

If you have insulin resistance, you may see:

• Increased LDL levels
• Increased triglycerides
• Decreased HDL levels

You can also do a couple of equations to see if you're at greater risk of insulin resistance using data from your latest lipid panel!

A triglyceride/HDL Ratio can be completed using your triglyceride and HDL levels. For example, if your triglyceride levels was 148 mg/dL and your HDL was 42 mg/dL, you'd do the math:

148 / 42 = 3.52

Then, compare your result to this table to see if you're at a greater risk of insulin resistance:

So the real question that you're wondering ... can insulin resistance actually be reversed? Or is this just something you're stuck with?

Thankfully, insulin resistance IS reversible in many situations! So let's take a look at some of the basics of getting started on reversing it!