{"id":3362,"date":"2023-10-05T11:40:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T00:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/?p=3362"},"modified":"2024-02-15T09:58:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:58:25","slug":"insulinresistancevsprediabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/insulinresistancevsprediabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Insulin resistance vs pre-diabetes: understanding the difference between insulin resistance and pre-diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some considerable time before a person is diagnosed with either pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, changes in the body that are associated with those conditions can occur. One significant change is the development of insulin resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, we take a look at what insulin does, what insulin resistance is and what its consequences can be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What is insulin?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas. It enables glucose in the blood to move into cells in muscles where it\u2019s used for energy. By doing that, it regulates the level of blood glucose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insulin is secreted when blood glucose rises, typically during and after a meal, when the carbohydrates eaten is broken down into glucose. Once insulin has done its job, any excess glucose is converted to glycogen for storage in liver and muscle tissues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What is insulin resistance?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insulin resistance occurs when the muscles and liver do not respond effectively to the hormone. The body starts to produce more insulin in an attempt to stabilise glucose levels, and keeps doing so until the pancreas is exhausted, resulting in too much glucose circulating in the blood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insulin resistance causes various reactions in the body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fatty tissue, it causes the breakdown of triglycerides (the main type of fat in the body), which leads to elevated fat levels in the blood. High triglyceride levels can increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the liver, insulin resistance prevents effective glucose storage, leaving more glucose to circulate in the bloodstream. It may also lead to fatty liver, a condition that can impair the organ\u2019s function.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In muscle tissue, insulin resistance reduces the absorption of glucose, again causing higher blood glucose levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The exact cause of insulin resistance is not known. While there are few insulin resistance symptoms, some people with the condition develop a skin condition known as acanthosis nigricans, which appears as dark patches on the neck, groin and armpits.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What is pre-diabetes?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person with pre-diabetes has higher than recommended blood glucose levels. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesvic.org.au\/diabetes-and-me-type?tags=Left-Mega-Nav%2Fwhat%20is%20diabetes%2FPre-diabetes%2F&amp;bdc=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may be diagnosed with pre-diabetes if your<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fasting blood glucose levels are between 6.1 and 6.9 mmol\/L and;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">less than 11.1 mmol\/L for a two-hour glucose tolerance test.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/pre-diabetes-signs-symptoms\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pre-diabetes rarely has signs or symptoms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It is most commonly diagnosed when a person has a fasting glucose, Hba1c or glucose tolerance test (GTT).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pre-diabetes has the same risk factors as type 2 diabetes. Some of these can be changed (are modifiable) and others cannot (are non-modifiable).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Modifiable risk factors include<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">excess body fat<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having a waist measurement that is greater than 80 cm for women and 94 cm for men<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">being physically inactive<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL-C (\u2018good\u2019 cholesterol)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having high blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">smoking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-modifiable risk factors include<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having a close relative such as a parent or brother\/sister with type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having an ethnic background of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Pacific Islander, South-East Asian, Asian (the sub-continent), Middle-Eastern or North African<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">age\u2013although diabetes can develop at any age, the risk of pre-diabetes increases after the age of 35<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having had diabetes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes) or given birth to a big baby (more than 4.5 kg).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with pre-diabetes have between 10 and 20 times greater a risk of developing type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What is type 2 diabetes?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 diabetes affects how your body uses glucose for energy. This happens either because it is not producing enough insulin or because it is not able to use the hormone effectively.\u00a0Type 2 diabetes develops over a long period of time, so early screening and diagnosis can be very beneficial.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases, the onset of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by adopting sustainable healthy habits. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">managing your weight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">doing regular physical activity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eating healthy and nutritious foods\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">managing blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">managing cholesterol levels<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not smoking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The symptoms of type 2 diabetes usually show when blood glucose levels have been high for some time.\u00a0 They include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">frequently needing to urinate\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased thirst<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tiredness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feeling hungry<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having cuts that heal slowly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Prevention and treatment<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned above, it is possible to manage pre-diabetes and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/type-2-diabetes-prevention\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prevent or delay type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by adopting sustainable healthy habits such as doing regular physical activity and eating healthily.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A healthy diet includes eating a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups below.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fruits<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vegetables<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grains\u2014includes foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or other cereal grains.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protein\u2014includes lean meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, nuts and seeds<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dairy\u2014includes low-fat milk, yoghurt, cheese and fortified soy milk.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatforhealth.gov.au\/guidelines\/about-australian-dietary-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australian Dietary Guidelines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatforhealth.gov.au\/guidelines\/australian-guide-healthy-eating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australian Guide to Healthy Eating<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provide more information and advice about healthy eating.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exercise can be very beneficial for people with pre-diabetes. It can reduce insulin resistance, lower blood glucose levels and enhance joint and muscle movement. Regular exercise can help maintain a healthy weight, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. It also benefits mental health by reducing stress and improving sleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/health-topics\/physical-activity-and-exercise\/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australian Government guidelines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> recommend that adults do <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days. Moderate intensity exercise is any activity that causes your heart to beat faster and makes you breathe harder. Examples are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swimming<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cycling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">brisk walking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tennis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gardening.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alternatively, you could do three short bursts of 10\u201315 minutes of activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s also beneficial to do muscle-strengthening exercise (also known as resistance training) on at least two days per week. This could include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lifting weights<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">doing vigorous gardening activities such as digging.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget to speak to your doctor before starting any new type of physical activity.\u00a0If you\u2019re not used to doing exercise, start gently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research shows that type 2 diabetes can be prevented in up to 58% of cases of pre-diabetes. It\u2019s important to act quickly\u2014the sooner you start, the sooner your risk level will decrease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em> <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">program can help you make a positive start.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a free healthy lifestyle program that helps you improve your eating habits, increase your physical activity and manage stress. The program is for people who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is run by experienced health professionals, including dietitians and exercise physiologists, who guide and support you to make healthy lifestyle changes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The program includes 7 sessions delivered over a 12-month period. You can choose from a group course or our telephone health coaching service. Learn more about the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can check your eligibility for the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> program by taking a quick online test <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/#health-check\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Sources<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/managing-diabetes\/medicines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes medicines &#8211; Diabetes Australia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/living-with-diabetes\/exercise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exercise &amp; diabetes &#8211; Diabetes Australia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/fatty-liver\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fatty Liver &#8211; Symptoms, Causes and Treatment &#8211; Health Direct<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/fatty-liver\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/fatty-liver<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au\/health\/conditionsandtreatments\/metabolic-syndrome\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Metabolic Syndrome &#8211; Better Health Channel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/about-diabetes\/pre-diabetes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pre-diabetes &#8211; Diabetes Australia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some considerable time before a person is diagnosed with either pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, changes in the body that are associated with those conditions can occur. One significant change is the development of insulin resistance. In this article, we take a look at what insulin does, what insulin resistance is and what its consequences can be.\u00a0 What is insulin?&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3362"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3464,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3362\/revisions\/3464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}