How to Determine Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, can seem like an overwhelming and confusing problem to understand. Symptoms of insulin resistance include fatigue, poor memory, agitation, jitteriness and prolonged hypoglycemia (drop in blood sugar at mealtime). Insulin resistance occurs when the insulin in your body becomes less able to lower the blood sugar in your body, causing higher glucose levels. Knowing what tests to ask your doctor for and your risk factors can help you determine if you are insulin resistant.

Instructions

• 1

  Look at your risk factors for insulin resistance. Risk factors include the following: being overweight; leading a sedentary lifestyle; being older than 45; family history; high blood pressure; high cholesterol; and being African American, Asian American, Hispanic or American Indian. The more risk factors you have, the higher the likelihood of having insulin resistance.

• 2

  Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and risk factors to determine insulin resistance. Your doctor could order any one of three tests or all three to find out if you're insulin-resistant.

• 3

  Get a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) blood test. This test measures your blood sugar levels for a two- to three-month period. The percentage of blood sugar that attaches to hemoglobin determines risk. If your blood sugar levels are high and your hemoglobin levels are high, you are insulin-resistant.

• 4

  Obtain a doctor's order for a fasting blood sugar test. This test requires that you fast for eight hours to determine the amount of glucose in your blood, which comes from carbohydrate foods and is used by insulin for energy. Results below 100 mg/dl are considered normal, 100 to 125 mg/dl could be insulin-resistant/pre-diabetic and anything over 126 mg/dl might be diabetes.

• 5

  Get an oral glucose tolerance test from your doctor. This test requires an eight-hour fasting blood sugar test followed by being given a sugary solution, and then being re-tested two hours later to determine how fast you metabolize the sugar. Results below 140 mg/dl are normal, 140 to 199 mg/dl could be insulin-resistant/pre-diabetic and anything over 200 mg/dl might be diabetes.