- Elevated blood sugar. A fasting blood sugar level greater than 80 mg/dL (5.4mmol/L) indicates insulin resistance.
- Hypoglycemia. Are you hangry? Getting the shakes or headaches in between meals is a sign you’re insulin resistant.
- Elevated triglyceride levels.
- Sleepiness, particularly after a meal.
- Abdominal obesity. As the waist grows larger, insulin becomes increasingly ineffective in your body, therefore levels of this hormone rise… which causes weight gain. It’s an endless cycle. Keep in mind though that thin people can still be insulin resistant.
- Fatty liver (elevated liver enzymes).
- Frequent hunger and cravings for sugar or carbohydrate rich foods. People with high blood insulin are hungry and nothing will satisfy their appetite like carbs!
- High blood pressure. (Insulin resistance is one of the causes of high blood pressure.)
- Fluid retention. Insulin tells your kidneys to hang on to sodium and water, therefore you will look more puffy. You can experience fluid retention anywhere on your body, such as swollen ankles, fingers, face and abdomen.
- Irregular menstrual cycle, specifically skipping months.
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). High insulin impairs ovulation and stimulates your ovaries to make too much testosterone, which is why it is a major cause of PCOS. Reversing insulin resistance = reversing PCOS.
- Skin tags.
- Thinning of hair and male pattern baldness in both women and men.
- Acne, greasy skin and large pores on the face. Insulin and its cousin insulin-like growth factor 1 promote higher levels of the male hormone testosterone and increase the sensitivity of your face to testosterone.
- Gout. People who are insulin resistant are sensitive to fructose and convert too much of it into uric acid. Elevated uric acid can raise the risk of gout and kidney stones.
- Acanthosis nigricans, a skin condition characterized by areas of dark, velvety discoloration and thickened skin in body folds and creases. It most often effects the armpits, groin, and neck.
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