Executive summary
* I recently read Ben Bikman’s book “Why we get sick”, all about insulin resistance. This note shares some of my takeaways.
* The book covers: the basics of insulin resistance and the chronic diseases it can cause (Part I); the causes of insulin resistance (Part II); and what we can do about it (Part III). In this note, I focus on the basics of insulin resistance (particularly in relation to diabetes) and the causes.
* At its simplest, insulin resistance is a reduced response to the hormone insulin. The body consequently needs more and more insulin to perform its roles.
* Diabetes (type 1 and type 2) is typically diagnosed and defined by high blood glucose levels. The high blood glucose in type 1s is due to too little insulin (none essentially). The high blood glucose in type 2s should be seen as the outcome of too much insulin, which has led to insulin resistance and thus insulin no longer being able to keep blood glucose levels in the normal range.
