How do I know if I have insulin resistance?

This is picked up on a blood test. If your doctor is arranging for you to have a fasting lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol), it’s worth having a fasting glucose level on the same blood sample. (Don’t worry, it’s not an arduous fast – just 12 hours overnight.)

A fasting glucose level of up to 6mmol/l is said to be normal. Diabetes starts at 7mmol/l. If your level is between 6 and 7, you are said to have ‘impaired fasting glucose’ and this indicates insulin resistance. It means you are sitting on a slide heading towards diabetes.

The good news is you can get off. By following the 28-day plan (which is easy to continue as a way of life) and exercising (eg 30 minutes of brisk walking a day), you can start losing fat from your waist area and increasing insulin sensitivity.

Although a fasting glucose of up to 6mmol/l is considered ‘normal’, the problem starts at lower levels and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) counts a fasting glucose of 5.6mmol/l as high enough to qualify for the metabolic syndrome.

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