By skyforbes 
What are the symptoms of insulin resistance?
If you have insulin resistance, but your pancreas can increase insulin production to keep your blood sugar levels in range, you won’t have any symptoms.
But over time, the condition can get worse, and the cells in your pancreas that make insulin can wear out. Eventually, your pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to overcome it, leading to elevated blood sugar.
People with consistently high blood sugar levels can experience the following symptoms:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination (peeing)
- Increased hunger
- Blurred vision
- Yeast infections
Many people have no symptoms of prediabetes, often for years. Prediabetes may be invisible until it develops into Type 2 diabetes. Some people with prediabetes may experience the following symptoms:
- Darkened skin in your armpit or back and sides of your neck, called acanthosis nigricans
- Skin tags
- Eye changes that can lead to diabetes-related retinopathy
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to see your healthcare provider.
What causes insulin resistance?
Scientists still have a lot to discover about how exactly it develops. So far, they’ve identified several genes that make a person more or less likely to develop insulin resistance. Providers also know that gaining weight can worsen it, and losing weight can help improve it. Other factors and conditions can cause varying degrees of the condition.
Acquired causes of insulin resistance
Acquired causes of the condition, meaning you’re not born with the cause, include:
- Excess body fat: Scientists believe obesity is a primary cause of insulin resistance. Excess fat in your belly and around your organs (visceral fat) especially raises your risk.
- Physical inactivity: Movement and exercise make your body more sensitive to insulin. Exercise also builds muscle that can absorb blood glucose. A lack of physical activity can lead to the condition.
- Food choices: A diet of highly processed foods, high in carbohydrates and saturated fats, has been linked to the condition
- Certain medications: Steroids, blood pressure medications, HIV treatments and other medications can cause insulin resistance.
Hormonal disorders that can cause insulin resistance
Issues with certain hormones can affect how well your body uses insulin. Hormonal disorders that can cause insulin resistance include:
- Cushing’s syndrome: This rare condition happens when there’s extra cortisol in your body. Excess cortisol can counteract the effects of insulin, causing the condition.
- Acromegaly: This is a very rare but serious condition that happens when you have high levels of growth hormone (GH). High levels of GH can lead to insulin resistance.
- Hypothyroidism: This means your thyroid is underactive and doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. It causes your metabolism to slow down, which can lead to insulin resistance.
Genetic conditions that cause insulin resistance
Certain inherited genetic disorders — conditions you’re born with – can cause the condition for various reasons. These are rare but include Type A insulin resistance syndrome and Donohue syndrome.
Other inherited conditions that can cause it include:
- Myotonic dystrophy: This is a form of muscular dystrophy that affects your muscles, eyes and endocrine system organs.
- Alström syndrome: This condition causes obesity and Type 2 diabetes. It also causes vision and hearing loss, dilated cardiomyopathy and short stature.
- Werner syndrome: A condition that causes accelerated aging (progeria). It affects many aspects of your body, including resistance to the effects of insulin.
- Inherited lipodystrophy: This is a condition in which your body doesn’t use and store fat properly.