Insulin Resistance (IR) is commonly associated with PCOS. Although insulin resistance has been linked to PCOS, researchers are still unclear on whether it causes PCOS or the other way around. Also,while insulin resistance is very common in PCOS, it is not required for the diagnosis.
Paraphrased from Wikipedia: “IR is a condition in which normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells. Insulin resistance in fat cells reduces the effects of insulin and results in elevated hydrolysis of stored triglycerides which either increase insulin sensitivity or which provide additional insulin. Insulin resistance in muscle cells reduces glucose uptake, whereas IR in liver cells results in impaired glycogen synthesis and a failure to suppress glucose production. In addition to the PCOS link, high plasma levels of insulin and glucose due to insulin resistance are also believed to be the origin of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.”
But what does this really mean, in layman’s terms?
When you eat food, your body releases insulin to allow that food to be stored as energy. Insulin is the hormonal key that unlocks the door to the cell’s energy storage capability.
When you have PCOS, your cells do not respond well to the insulin your body produces. This is called insulin resistance.
When your cells don’t respond to insulin, your body produces more insulin, much like when you knock on a door and no one answers, you knock again louder and more insistently. All this extra insulin in your system does two things.
First, it makes the cells even more stubborn and unlikely to respond, and secondly, it wears out the body’s insulin producing organ, the pancreas.
One of the keys to managing PCOS and insulin resistance, as well as preventing diabetes that can be a consequence of PCOS, is lowering blood insulin levels.
Click here to read more about insulin resistance and PCOS.
Check back tomorrow to find out what changes to make in your diet to reduce the symptoms and severity of PCOS. Diet can make a difference!
