Many people have normal fasting blood sugar during physical exams, yet they notice their belly growing larger, weight loss becoming increasingly difficult, afternoon drowsiness, and hunger accompanied by heart palpitations and hand tremors—these symptoms may not be due to "aging" or "lack of willpower," but rather insulin resistance at play.
Insulin is the body's only "blood sugar-lowering hormone." When cells become "deaf" to insulin, the pancreas has to secrete more insulin to achieve the same effect—this condition is called insulin resistance.
6 Typical Signs of Insulin Resistance
Sign 1: Abdominal Obesity—Waist circumference ≥90 cm in men, ≥85 cm in women. Even with normal weight, be vigilant. The bigger the belly, the more severe the resistance.
Sign 2: Extreme Difficulty Losing Weight—High insulin levels inhibit fat breakdown. Forced dieting causes muscle loss, while fat remains unchanged.
Sign 3: Post-meal Sleepiness, Especially at 3-4 PM—Delayed and excessive insulin secretion leads to blood sugar fluctuations like a roller coaster.
Sign 4: Frequent Hunger, with Hand Tremors and Heart Palpitations—Reactive hypoglycemia. Excessive insulin secretion after meals suppresses blood sugar too much within 2-3 hours.
Sign 5: Dark Skin on Neck and Underarms (Acanthosis Nigricans)—A "surface marker" of insulin resistance.
Sign 6: Abnormalities in Blood Pressure, Lipids, and Uric Acid "Clustering Together"—The core link of metabolic syndrome, all sharing the same pathological foundation.
How to Test for Insulin Resistance?
| Indicator | Calculation Method | Abnormal Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| HOMA-IR | Fasting Insulin (μU/mL) × Fasting Blood Sugar (mmol/L) ÷ 22.5 | >2.5 |
| Fasting Insulin | Direct measurement | >15 μU/mL |
| TG/HDL Ratio | Triglycerides ÷ High-Density Lipoprotein | >3.0 |
The Key to Reversing Insulin Resistance: Building Muscle
For every 10% increase in muscle mass, insulin sensitivity improves by approximately 11%. Resistance training (weightlifting, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises) is more effective than aerobic exercise alone in improving resistance—it directly increases the power of the body's "muscle engine."
⚠️ Reminder
This article is for health knowledge popularization purposes. Diagnosis of insulin resistance should be conducted through professional tests at the hospital's endocrinology department.
