What causes insulin resistance and why do only some people have it?

i am 5’4" and nearly 100 pounds. i am much smaller than my other D friends. i need insulin to cover everything i eat, including things like spinach, proteins, just looking at foods. my D friends are much larger and heavier than i am and yet they seem to be able to get away w/ using 1/2 the insulin i need to cover my foods. as opposed to me, they are very insulin sensitive. is there a rhyme or a reason for this?

Insulin need according to the experts is a guideline…meaning that is the average usage based on age, weight, etc. Your body needs what your body needs. If you are really concerned, have your doctor check for an underlying infection, hormone levels, or anything else your endocrinologist might think could be affecting it. Stress can mess with your endocrine system as well, so if you are really stressed, that could also be a factor.
My advice would be to not compare yourself to others. You are unique, as your insulin needs are. :slight_smile:

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yes. it hadn’t dawned on me until you posted. i take very strong anti-psychotics for schizophrenia. i am pretty certain that they affect my BGs. since i have changed (lowered) my dosages, my insulin basal needs have lessened. but still, i don’t get why i need so much more insulin for bolusing to cover my carb needs.

i see my endo and cde tomorrow, wednesday, and i will inquire about this.
thanks a lot.

What is your TDD? Could it be that, rather than being insulin resistant, you’re actually just very carb/food sensitive? I am also thin and find that the tiniest amount of carbs can send my BG up. My I:C ratio is 1:7 in the morning, 1:9 for lunch and 1:12 for dinner, but 1 unit of insulin brings me down 100 points. I wonder if the low body fat has something to do with the ultra-sensitivity to food’s effect on the BG.

I’ve read and my experience has backed up the notion that insulin causes insulin resistance. That is, too much insulin can cause the cells in your body as well as the counter-regulatory systems to constantly put on the brakes if too much insulin is present. It’s a survival reaction to a serious metabolic challenge.

Now I know that this topic is more complicated than this but I do think that insulin is one of the main players in causing insulin resistance.

Another component is that, the more insulin used, the more co-factors necessary (ie chromium, B vitamins, zinc, vitamin D) Without supplementation, the overuse of insulin can result in an insufficiency of co-factors… causing an ability to use the insulin in the blood efficaciously. Hence, insulin resistance.

my insulin to carb ratio is 1:10 throughout the day. it may have been modified slightly, but i can’t remember. it’s been that way for so many years, though. anyway, my basals are very low (most around .4/hour ) and when i do a basal fasting, that formula works out perfectly for me. 1 unit brings me down 50 points ( 1/2 of yours) my problem is correct bolusing for meals. i don’t have much trouble w/ servings of protein or fibers, but carbs just kill me. recently i did a dual bolus on an english muffin (over the w/end) and i did a 50/50 split over 2 (or 21/2 ) hours. it worked perfectly, but i did have to bump up the amount of insulin i needed to cover the carbs (instead of covering for 25 gms, i covered for 30 grams) i have relatively no body fat, so maybe your suggestion is accurate (the potential ultra sensitivity to food).

thanks for your suggestions.

the thing is, my basals are very low. when i do the fasting basal test the insulin profile is perfect. its the bolusing for food that causes the problems. my I:C ratio is 1:10. this works for all foods except straight out carbs. i need to dual bolus for simple carbs, and it drives me crazy. and, coffee spikes me though the moon.

I am pretty heavy and my I:C is 1:5. 1 unit only brings me down 25 points at best. my basal (humalog in the pump) is 1 unit per hour. I also take Metformin (1K mg per day) for insulin resistance and I am still very resistant. I can’t explain why I am so resistant, myself nor any of my doctors over the years have found a cause. It was blamed on my weight, but then my weight problem was blamed on my resistance. It seems to be a vicious cycle, one problem feeding the other according to several of my doctors. It leaves me frustrated and wanting to give up.

If I want to use less insulin I have to follow a near zero carb diet and exercise more than I can handle…

I will say though, that I have always required larger amounts of insulin. Even when I was young and very thin. So, the only thing I know for sure is that I don’t have the slightest idea why I am insulin resistant. :frowning:

Just a thought - but how active are you? Could that play a role? I am not a huge sporty person - so i hate it when exercise is proven useful - but you never know…

i am not one to go to the gym or run a marathon, but i live in bklyn nyc and its a real walking community, so i walk everywhere every day. and then there’s the subway system; i climb up and down subway stairs all week long. ugh :smile: