insulin resistance

noun

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of insulin resistance

: reduced sensitivity to insulin by the body's insulin-dependent processes (such as glucose uptake and lipolysis) that is typical of type 2 diabetes but often occurs in the absence of diabetes

Recent Examples of insulin resistance from the Web

Consider, for instance, that young women with polycystic ovary syndrome tend to have the apple shape and insulin resistance, although their bodies produce plenty of estrogen.

— claudia wallis, Scientific American, "The Belly Fat Battle," 1 May 2018
Type 2 diabetes is an extreme form of insulin resistance, and this helps explain the close relationship between excess body fat and Type 2 diabetes.

— bryant stamford, The Courier-Journal, "Is chronic inflammation public health enemy No. 1? It just might be," 18 Jan. 2018
Finally, lean muscle mass can help reverse insulin resistance, the body’s ability to process excess glucose in the bloodstream.

— brian maher, Philly.com, "5 reasons to exercise that have nothing to do with weight loss," 2 Apr. 2018
There wasn’t a perfect correspondence between the mutation and insulin resistance.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "Blind cavefish seem to ignore insulin without health consequences," 23 Mar. 2018
The researchers then compared the cavefish to their skinnier counterparts, a river fish with sight that is missing the insulin resistance developed in the cavefish.

— National Geographic, "Blind Cave Fish May Hold Secret to Treating Diabetes," 22 Mar. 2018
The researchers also looked at whether people who secreted higher levels of insulin in response to carbohydrate intake — a barometer of insulin resistance — did better on the low-carb diet.

— author: anahad o'connor, Anchorage Daily News, "Counting calories is not the key to weight loss, a new study finds," 22 Feb. 2018
The metabolism of a person who has insulin resistance or insulin excess will be shifted away from fat loss and toward fat storage.

— dr. melina jampolis, CNN, "Why am I not losing weight?," 8 Mar. 2018
Over the long term, this change could lead to insulin resistance and eventually type 2 diabetes.

— christy brissette, charlotteobserver, "If you can’t resist fast food, here are a few things to know | Charlotte Observer," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insulin resistance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of insulin resistance

1927

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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