One can be Insulin resistant for years with no visible signs. Patchy skin, skin tags or hormonal imbalance can be seen in few people but many don’t complaint anything.

Let’s first understand how our body maintains normal blood sugar:

When everything works well-Body breaks down the meal into simpler component, carbohydrates  break down to glucose (sugar), which enters bloodstream. Spike in blood sugar signals pancreas to release insulin. Insulin helps transporting glucose, it takes the glucose from blood and transports to muscle, fat and liver cells. When glucose levels in bloodstream decrease, pancreas stop producing more insulin.Even when we have not eaten for long, body maintains blood glucose level. Glucose from store (such as liver) release stored sugar to the blood with the help of a different hormone.  

Insulin resistance-Insulin resistance is the condition when cells in muscles, fat and liver don’t respond well to insulin. The pancreas overwork, produce more insulin to make cells respond.The development of insulin resistance increases insulin production, so your body can maintain healthy blood sugar levels.High load of insulin, helps liver and muscles to store blood sugar. 

When these stores are full, the liver sends the excess blood sugar to fat cells to be stored as body fat. This is how Insulin resistance can make people gain weight.

Over time, insulin resistance can get worse, pancreatic cell can wear out and stop producing sufficient insulin. This leads to high blood glucose. Chronic insulin resistance can lead to prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.

Some signs and symptoms we should not ignore:

Increase in waistline or weight

BP reading 130/80 or higher

A fasting glucose level over 100 mg/dL

A fasting triglyceride level over 150 mg/dL

Low HDL cholesterol level 

Skin- darkened skin in your armpit or back sides of your neck and skin tags (small skin growths)

Things makes you prone to Insulin Resistant:

Obesity, especially Waist fat

Inactive lifestyle

Diet high in simple sugar and overeating

Gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)

Fatty liver disease and PCOS

Family history of diabetes

Smoking

Medications like steroids, antipsychotics etc

Regular exercise and a healthy diet helps managing body fat, improves BP, reduces stress hormone and make cells more sensitive to insulin. Gradually it can help to reverse insulin resistance..