In plain words
Insulin resistance means the body's cells respond less than usual to insulin. Insulin is the hormone that moves sugar from the blood into cells. When cells respond less, blood sugar stays higher, and the pancreas makes more insulin to compensate. Insulin resistance is common, and it is linked to body weight, inactivity, and genetics. It also happens in pregnancy, mostly in the later months, as part of how the baby receives fuel. It is different from diabetes, though it can lead to diabetes over time. Clinicians check for it with blood sugar and insulin tests. Insulin resistance is part of several conditions, so the cause matters. Ask your provider how your results compare with the usual ranges.
The deeper version
Insulin resistance is reduced glucose disposal per unit of insulin in skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue, with compensatory hyperinsulinemia. Reference measurement uses the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, and research often uses HOMA-IR or the Matsuda index. Mechanisms include post-receptor defects in insulin signaling, lipid overload, and inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha. DeFronzo (Banting Lecture, Diabetes, 2009) framed insulin resistance as a central defect in type 2 diabetes, alongside beta-cell failure. in late pregnancy is driven by placental hormones (Lain and Catalano, 2007). Controversy persists over whether insulin resistance drives obesity and inflammation or follows from them.
Where it comes up
- Gestational diabetesPregnancy: Your Body
- Moving your body in pregnancyPregnancy: Your Body
- Weight gain in pregnancyPregnancy: Your Body
- Low milk supply: real, perceived, and what helpsFeeding Your Baby
What mothers here say about insulin resistance
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- DeFronzo RA — Banting Lecture: From the triumvirate to the ominous octet. Diabetes, 2009
- Lain KY, Catalano PM — Metabolic changes in pregnancy. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2007