Insulin resistance rates for women over 50 are skyrocketing. This disease, also referred to as pre-diabetes, often leads to excess weight gain, brain fog, lack of energy, changes to your skin and more. The root cause comes from several key lifestyle habits that create insulin resistance in your body.
The good news is that the disease is reversible. With lifestyle changes like improving your diet, exercising, managing stress and getting quality sleep, you can overcome insulin resistance and prevent its progression to more serious health conditions. This makes early recognition and intervention critical.
Read on and I’ll show you some actionable steps you can take to prevent insulin resistance and diabetes.
Who’s at risk?
Menopausal women are at a greater risk of having insulin resistance due to declining estrogen levels. This occurs because the body becomes less responsive to insulin as we age. A diagnosis of insulin resistance is considered serious because it can be a precursor of pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic disorders. It is suggested that hormone therapy can be beneficial to combat this.
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What is insulin resistance?
Insulin resistance occurs when cells in the body become less sensitive to insulin. Hemoglobin A1c, often known as A1c, is a hormone and protein produced by the pancreas’ beta cells. Insulin plays a critical role in the body in managing blood sugar levels. Normally, when you eat, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose (sugar), which enters your bloodstream.
In response, your pancreas releases insulin, which acts like a key, unlocking your cells so they can absorb the glucose and use it for energy. One of insulins main jobs is to clear the blood of glucose and usher it into muscle and fat cells.
When insulin resistance develops, this process no longer works efficiently. The cells become “numb” to insulin’s signal, making it harder for glucose to enter them. As a result, glucose stays in the bloodstream, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. To compensate, the pancreas produces even more insulin to try to force the cells to respond.
It’s important to note that insulin resistance is not just about blood sugar—it’s a full-body issue. Insulin impacts fat storage, muscle function, and even brain health. When your cells don’t respond well to insulin, it can lead to an array of imbalances in your body.
If left untreated, the disease causes a “traffic jam” in your body. The glucose or fuel can’t get to where it needs to go. As a result, energy gets stuck in the wrong places and creates chaos in the system. This is diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by high blood sugar levels due to the body’s inability to produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or to use insulin effectively (type 2 diabetes). Menopausal women face unique challenges when it comes to diabetes because hormonal changes during menopause can affect how the body processes sugar.
Declining estrogen levels can lead to increased insulin resistance, making it harder for cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. This, combined with a slower metabolism, weight gain (especially around the midsection), and lifestyle changes, increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes during and after menopause.
While insulin resistance and diabetes are closely related, the signs and symptoms can vary due to different stages in blood sugar regulation.
Signs and Symptoms of Insulin Resistance
This condition often begins as a silent issue, with no obvious symptoms. Over time, however, insulin resistance can progress and contribute to more serious health problems, such as prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. Insulin resistance is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes.
Over time, the pancreas becomes overworked from producing excessive insulin and can no longer keep up, causing blood sugar levels to rise out of control
Insulin resistance is closely linked to cardiovascular issues like high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol. These factors increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular problems.
Weight Gain (especially around mid section)
A hallmark sign of insulin resistance is difficulty losing weight, especially in the abdominal area. Even with diet and exercise, some individuals may find themselves gaining weight or unable to shed stubborn belly fat. This happens because insulin resistance promotes fat storage, particularly visceral fat (the fat around your organs), which is metabolically active and contributes to further hormonal imbalances.
Cravings for sugar and carbs
Insulin resistance disrupts your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar effectively. As a result, your blood sugar levels may swing from highs to lows, leaving you feeling fatigued or irritable. These dips often trigger intense cravings for sugary or starchy foods, leading to a vicious cycle of overeating and further stressing the system.
Fatigue/Low energy
If your cells are unable to effectively absorb glucose for energy, you may experience a persistent sense of fatigue or sluggishness, even if you’re eating regularly. This can make daily activities feel more challenging and reduce your overall vitality.
Brain Fog
Cognitive issues, such as difficulty focusing, poor memory, or feeling mentally “cloudy,” are common with insulin resistance. This occurs because the brain is highly dependent on glucose for energy, and when glucose isn’t efficiently delivered to brain cells, it can impair mental clarity.
Frequent Hunger
Insulin resistance can interfere with your body’s ability to feel satisfied after meals. You might find yourself feeling hungry again shortly after eating, even if you consumed a full meal. This happens because the disease affects how your body uses and stores nutrients.
Skin Changes
A visible sign of insulin resistance is the development of dark, velvety patches of skin, often found on the neck, armpits, or groin. This condition, called acanthosis nigricans, is a result of elevated insulin levels in the bloodstream stimulating skin cell growth.
Elevated blood pressure
Insulin resistance often goes hand in hand with high blood pressure. Excess insulin can cause your kidneys to retain more sodium, leading to fluid retention and increased blood pressure.
High triglycerides and low HDL (good cholesterol)
A blood lipid panel can often reveal early signs of insulin resistance. High triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol are common markers, as the disease affects how your body processes fats.
Speeds up Aging
Chronic insulin resistance can speed up the aging process at the cellular level. High insulin levels are linked to increased oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which damage tissues and organs over time. This can contribute to everything from wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity to more serious issues like heart disease and dementia.
Negative Affects to Mental Health
Insulin resistance has been linked to an increased risk of depression and anxiety. This may be due to its impact on brain health, including reduced glucose availability for brain cells and chronic low-grade inflammation.
Systemic (whole body) Problems
Insulin resistance doesn’t just affect your pancreas or your blood sugar—it’s a whole-body problem. It impacts your muscles, liver, brain, and fat cells, creating a domino effect of dysfunction.
Why Insulin Resistance Matters
Insulin resistance is more than just a blood sugar issue—it’s a foundational metabolic dysfunction that impacts nearly every aspect of your health. While it often develops quietly over years, it can lead to a cascade of serious health problems if left unchecked.
This disease is the root of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH), Alzheimers disease and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Insulin resistance doesn’t just affect blood sugar—it impacts other hormones as well. High insulin levels can disrupt the balance of estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol, leading to symptoms like weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, low libido, and difficulty managing stress.
It’s Reversible
The good news is that insulin resistance is not a life sentence. With just a simple blood test you can get your A1c checked to see where your blood sugar levels are.
With lifestyle changes like improving your diet, exercising, managing stress, and getting quality sleep, you can reverse this disease and prevent its progression to more serious health conditions. This makes early recognition and intervention critical.
Actionable Steps to Prevent Insulin Resistance
Focus on whole, unprocessed foods; increase healthy fats (like avocado, nuts, and olive oil); and consume moderate protein. Reduce refined carbs and sugars. Also, don’t snack in between meals, this spikes your insulin levels.
Emphasize resistance training like weights or bodyweight exercises and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for their impact on insulin sensitivity.
Stress Management is important too, as stress raises cortisol levels which can impact blood sugar. Try these for stress management: yoga, meditation/mindfulness practices, light stretching/exercise, being with nature, reading a book, deep breathing, knitting/crocheting, doing a puzzle or even baking.
In short, insulin resistance is a signal from your body that something is out of balance. By addressing it early, you’re not just improving your metabolic health—you’re protecting your heart, brain, liver, and overall vitality. It’s about more than avoiding disease; it’s about thriving.
Juliet Cullins is a Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and also a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS). As a health coach, she focuses on holistic health and healing practices melding the eastern and the western worlds together!