Catch It Early: A Practical Guide to Insulin Resistance

Join Dr. James Odell for Season 2 of the Science of Self-Healing Podcast! He's the medical and executive director for BRMI, as well as a practicing naturopathic doctor for over 35 years, and he's here to share with you his extensive knowledge of medicine from a different perspective.

The Bioregulatory Medicine Institute

The Science of Self-Healing Podcast

Your blood sugar can look completely normal on paper while your metabolism is quietly unraveling underneath. 

Insulin resistance often develops a decade or more before a diabetes diagnosis — and by the time it shows up on standard labs, the damage has already been building for years. 

In this episode, we break down what's actually happening inside the body as cells stop responding to insulin, why this single shift is linked to heart disease, fatty liver, PCOS, cognitive decline, and more, and the early warning signs most people miss — from afternoon energy crashes to stubborn belly fat to waking up hungry at night. We also cover the lab markers that catch insulin resistance years before a glucose test ever will, and a bioregulatory framework for addressing the inflammation, mitochondrial stress, and gut health issues driving it all. Plus, simple things you can start doing today to blunt a glucose spike before it happens. This one's for anyone who wants to get ahead of a diagnosis instead of reacting to one. 

Transcript: Catch It Early: A Practical Guide to Insulin Resistance

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Science of Self-Healing podcast. For health and wellness knowledge from a different perspective. Produced by the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute, also known as BRMI. We are your source for unparalleled information about how you can naturally support your body's ability to regulate, adapt, regenerate, and self-heal. I'm your host, Dr. James Odell, the medical and executive director for BRMI, as well as a practicing naturopathic doctor for over 35 years. And remember, this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the direct care of a qualified health professional who oversees and provides unique and individual care. The information here is to broaden our different perspectives and should not be construed as medical advice or treatment. Let's get started.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Science of Self-Healing. Today we're discussing insulin resistance—one of the earliest metabolic disturbances that precedes the development of type 2 diabetes, often emerging years before blood glucose levels become abnormal enough for a diagnosis. In today's episode, we'll look at how it quietly develops, the warning signs your body gives long before a diagnosis, and what can be done to catch it early and reverse course. During this stage, the body's cells gradually lose their sensitivity to insulin, forcing the pancreas to compensate by producing increasing amounts of the hormone.

Although blood sugar may remain within the normal range for many years, this compensation places significant stress on the body's regulatory systems. By the time diabetes is diagnosed, metabolic dysfunction has often been developing silently for a decade or more.

Before we begin, I'd like to mention that today's episode covers a great deal of important information. Rather than trying to remember every detail, know that we provide a complete transcript of every podcast on our website at BRMI.online. There, you'll also find hundreds of free articles, webinars, and educational resources dedicated to helping you understand the science of self-healing. If you'd like to revisit today's discussion or explore the topic in greater depth, everything will be waiting for you.

Why Insulin Resistance Matters Beyond Diabetes

So, let's start with why this matters beyond diabetes. Insulin resistance isn't simply about diabetes. Research has shown that it contributes to many of today's most common chronic diseases, including heart disease, fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, cognitive decline, and several forms of cancer. Understanding insulin resistance may therefore be one of the most important steps we can take toward protecting long-term health.

Now, the encouraging news is that this early stage also presents one of the greatest opportunities for prevention. By recognizing insulin resistance before diabetes develops, we may be able to restore metabolic flexibility, reduce chronic inflammation, and support the body's remarkable capacity to heal and regulate itself.

A Bioregulatory Lens on Metabolic Health

Moving along, let's look at this through a bioregulatory lens. Bioregulatory medicine views insulin resistance not as an isolated disease but as a manifestation of broader dysregulation involving inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, and impaired communication between organ systems. Rather than focusing solely on lowering blood glucose, this approach seeks to identify and address the underlying factors contributing to metabolic imbalance while supporting the body's natural self-regulatory mechanisms. Understanding insulin resistance before diabetes develops provides an opportunity for prevention rather than treatment. Early intervention may restore metabolic flexibility, reduce chronic inflammation, and prevent progression to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. From a bioregulatory perspective, improving the body's regulatory capacity is essential for long-term metabolic health.

How Insulin Actually Works

Next, I'd like to talk about what's actually happening inside the body — so let's start with the basics of how insulin works. Insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas that allows glucose to move from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells where it can be used for energy or stored for future use. Under healthy conditions, insulin maintains stable blood glucose levels while coordinating fat metabolism, protein synthesis, and cellular growth.

Think of insulin as a key that unlocks the door to your cells so glucose can enter and be used for energy. As cells become resistant, that key no longer works as efficiently. The pancreas responds by making more and more keys, hoping enough insulin will eventually unlock the doors. Over time, this constant demand places tremendous stress on the pancreas and the body's metabolic systems.

Insulin resistance develops when these target tissues become less responsive to insulin. Of these tissues, skeletal muscle is one of the body's largest consumers of glucose. Healthy muscle acts as a powerful reservoir for removing glucose from the bloodstream and using it to produce energy. Maintaining and building muscle through resistance training and regular physical activity is therefore one of the most effective ways to improve insulin sensitivity and support healthy metabolic function.

As sensitivity decreases, the pancreas compensates by producing larger amounts of insulin to maintain normal blood glucose concentrations. This stage, known as hyperinsulinemia, often occurs years before fasting glucose or hemoglobin A1c levels become abnormal.

Initially, this compensation is effective. However, chronically elevated insulin promotes fat storage, increases appetite, alters lipid metabolism, and contributes to further metabolic dysfunction. Over time, pancreatic beta cells become unable to meet the increasing demand for insulin production. Blood glucose begins to rise, leading first to prediabetes and eventually type 2 diabetes if the underlying dysfunction is not corrected.

It's also worth pointing out that many people think insulin's only job is to lower blood sugar, but insulin is also one of the body's most powerful growth hormones. It tells the body to store energy, build tissue, and prepare for times when food may be scarce. In today's world of constant food availability, however, chronically elevated insulin can keep the body in a continual "storage mode," making it much more difficult to burn stored fat and maintain metabolic flexibility.

What's Really Driving the Dysfunction

So, with that foundation in place, let's turn to what's actually driving this dysfunction underneath the surface, from a bioregulatory point of view. Bioregulatory medicine emphasizes that chronic diseases rarely arise from a single cause. Instead, disease develops when the body's complex regulatory network becomes progressively disrupted. Insulin resistance reflects dysfunction across multiple interconnected systems.

One of the primary contributors is chronic low-grade inflammation. Unlike acute inflammation, which is protective and temporary, metabolic inflammation persists over time. Enlarged fat cells release inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which interfere with insulin signaling pathways. Immune cells infiltrate adipose tissue, creating a self-perpetuating inflammatory environment that further reduces insulin sensitivity.

In addition to inflammation, oxidative stress also plays a significant role. Excess calories, poor nutrition, environmental toxins, and chronic inflammation increase the production of reactive oxygen species. When antioxidant defenses become overwhelmed, oxidative damage impairs insulin receptors, mitochondrial function, and pancreatic beta-cell survival.

Closely tied to this, mitochondrial dysfunction represents another key feature. Mitochondria generate the energy required for cellular metabolism. Reduced mitochondrial efficiency decreases fatty acid oxidation, promotes lipid accumulation inside muscle and liver cells, and worsens insulin resistance. Since beta cells rely heavily on healthy mitochondrial function to regulate insulin secretion, mitochondrial impairment contributes to both insulin resistance and declining insulin production.

Beyond the cellular level, bioregulatory medicine also recognizes the importance of the gastrointestinal system. The intestinal microbiome influences inflammation, nutrient absorption, immune regulation, and glucose metabolism. Diets low in fiber and high in processed foods may reduce microbial diversity and increase intestinal permeability, allowing bacterial components such as lipopolysaccharides to enter the bloodstream. This process, often called metabolic endotoxemia, promotes systemic inflammation and insulin resistance.

Along the same lines, the liver also plays a central role in metabolic health. Excess consumption of added fructose—particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages and many ultra-processed foods—can overwhelm the liver's ability to process it efficiently. Unlike glucose, which can be used by nearly every cell in the body, fructose is metabolized primarily in the liver. Over time, excessive added fructose intake may contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that commonly accompanies insulin resistance and further impairs the body's ability to regulate blood sugar and fat metabolism. Alcohol places a similar burden on the liver — it's processed along the same metabolic pathway as fructose, and regular intake, even at moderate levels, is a commonly overlooked driver of both insulin resistance and fatty liver disease.

On top of that, hormonal balance further influences metabolic regulation. Elevated cortisol from chronic stress stimulates glucose production by the liver while reducing insulin sensitivity. Disturbances in thyroid hormones, sex hormones, growth hormone, and adipokines such as leptin and adiponectin also affect insulin responsiveness.

And finally, we can't leave out genetics. Your family history can influence your susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. However, genetics alone doesn't determine the onset of the disease. It's the interaction between your genetic predisposition and lifestyle choices that plays a crucial role.

Rather than viewing these abnormalities separately, bioregulatory medicine considers them components of an interconnected regulatory network. Improving one system often benefits several others simultaneously.

Catching It Before It Becomes Diabetes

So, now that we've covered what's driving insulin resistance, let's talk about how to catch it before it becomes diabetes. Traditional diagnostic methods often identify metabolic disease relatively late in its progression. Blood glucose levels may remain normal despite years of significant insulin resistance because the pancreas continues to compensate by producing excess insulin.

That said, many people experience subtle signs of insulin resistance long before laboratory tests become abnormal. Common clues include increasing abdominal weight and waist circumference despite otherwise stable body weight, intense cravings for carbohydrates or sweets, fatigue after meals, afternoon energy crashes, brain fog or difficulty concentrating, difficulty losing weight despite calorie restriction, skin tags, acanthosis nigricans (darkened patches of skin commonly found on the neck, underarms, or other skin folds), and waking during the night hungry or needing a bedtime snack to sleep comfortably. While none of these signs alone confirms insulin resistance, together they may serve as important early clues that warrant further evaluation. Recognizing these early warning signs provides an opportunity to intervene before diabetes develops.

The Lab Markers Worth Requesting

Beyond symptoms, there are also specific lab markers worth requesting. Fasting insulin measures how much insulin your pancreas needs to produce to keep blood sugar in the normal range. When insulin resistance develops, the pancreas compensates by producing more insulin. This hyperinsulinemia can persist for 10-15 years before fasting glucose rises above 100 mg/dL — making fasting insulin the earliest detectable marker of metabolic dysfunction.

Along with fasting insulin, one of the most valuable tools your healthcare provider can use is called HOMA-IR. It combines your fasting glucose and fasting insulin into a single score that often reveals insulin resistance years before diabetes is diagnosed.

HOMA-IR is calculated as: (fasting insulin × fasting glucose) / 405. It provides a standardized metric for insulin resistance severity.

● <1.0: Optimal insulin sensitivity

● 1.0-1.5: Early insulin resistance

● 1.5-2.5: Moderate insulin resistance

● >2.5: Significant insulin resistance

● >3.0: Consistent with metabolic syndrome

Beyond the numbers, bioregulatory assessment extends beyond laboratory values by evaluating lifestyle, stress exposure, nutritional status, sleep quality, digestive health, toxic burden, and inflammatory load. The objective is to recognize early patterns of dysregulation while the body's self-healing capacity remains strong enough for meaningful recovery.

What You Can Do About It

Now that we know how to spot it, let's move along to what to actually do about it. Because insulin resistance develops gradually, meaningful improvement generally requires addressing multiple regulatory systems simultaneously.

Before we get into the bigger lifestyle strategies, here's one simple thing you can do today: taking a short walk after meals, doing a few minutes of calf pumps if you're stuck at a desk, or simply eating protein and fiber before carbohydrates on your plate can all meaningfully blunt the glucose spike that follows eating.

Nutrition forms the foundation of intervention. A whole-food dietary pattern emphasizing vegetables, legumes, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats, nuts, seeds, and high-fiber carbohydrates reduces postprandial glucose excursions and lowers inflammatory signaling. There is no single "best" diet, but certain principles remain consistent. My goal is to identify a dietary strategy that is effective and sustainable for you. The following dietary approaches are beneficial.

The Mediterranean diet which is rich in vegetables, legumes, fish, and healthy fats. A plant-based diet is also effective for some in improving insulin sensitivity. And a low-carb, paleo or ketogenic diet is also proven to be helpful in stabilizing blood glucose in specific cases but often unnecessarily restrictive.

Beyond diet, regular physical activity significantly improves insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss. Resistance training increases skeletal muscle glucose uptake by expanding muscle mass, while aerobic exercise enhances mitochondrial function and cardiovascular health. Even moderate daily movement improves metabolic flexibility by increasing glucose utilization.

Next, sleep is another critical regulator of metabolism. Chronic sleep deprivation increases cortisol, disrupts appetite-regulating hormones, elevates inflammatory cytokines, and reduces insulin sensitivity. Consistent sleep schedules and adequate sleep duration support endocrine regulation and tissue repair.

Along with sleep, stress management represents another essential component. Persistent activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis elevates cortisol and sympathetic nervous system activity, contributing to chronic hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. Mindfulness practices, breathing exercises, meditation, regular physical activity, and adequate recovery time help restore autonomic balance.

In addition to lifestyle changes, nutritional supplementation may provide additional support when clinically appropriate. Magnesium participates in hundreds of enzymatic reactions involved in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with impaired insulin sensitivity, while antioxidants such as alpha-lipoic acid and coenzyme Q10 may reduce oxidative stress and improve mitochondrial function. Also alpha-lipoic acid, berberine, chromium and resveratrol are all helpful in most cases. However, any supplementation should be individualized based on nutritional status and clinical evaluation.

Finally, within bioregulatory medicine, botanical and natural therapies may also be incorporated to support metabolic regulation, liver function, mitochondrial activity, and inflammatory balance. These interventions are intended to complement, rather than replace, established lifestyle modifications and conventional medical care.

How Long Until You See a Difference

So, bringing all of this together, what does it mean for prevention going forward — and how long does it actually take to see change? The progression from insulin resistance to diabetes is neither immediate nor inevitable. Numerous studies demonstrate that lifestyle intervention can substantially reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly when initiated during the earliest stages of metabolic dysfunction. As a general timeline, insulin sensitivity can begin shifting within just a few weeks of consistent changes to diet, movement, and sleep, while a meaningful improvement in HOMA-IR typically takes a few months to show up on repeat labs — so patience and consistency matter more than speed.

Bioregulatory medicine emphasizes that prevention is most successful when treatment begins before irreversible tissue damage occurs. Supporting mitochondrial function, reducing inflammation, improving gut health, balancing hormones, optimizing nutrition, encouraging regular movement, and minimizing chronic stress collectively strengthen the body's intrinsic regulatory capacity.

This systems-based approach recognizes that insulin resistance reflects widespread metabolic imbalance rather than simply elevated blood sugar. By restoring communication between organ systems and supporting physiological resilience, individuals may improve insulin sensitivity, reduce disease progression, and promote overall health.

The Bottom Line

So, to wrap up today's episode, insulin resistance represents one of the earliest warning signs of future metabolic disease. Long before diabetes develops, subtle disturbances in inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, hormonal regulation, and gut health begin impairing insulin signaling throughout the body. Although blood glucose levels may remain normal during this period, important opportunities for prevention already exist.

By examining each patient's unique biochemistry, environmental factors, and genetic predispositions, we develop individualized treatment plans aimed at not only managing but potentially reversing the condition. Our goal is to restore metabolic balance, improve overall well-being, and reduce reliance on long-term medication. Bioregulatory medicine offers a comprehensive framework that seeks to understand these interconnected processes rather than focusing solely on glucose control. Through personalized nutrition, physical activity, stress reduction, sleep optimization, support of mitochondrial and gastrointestinal health, and reduction of chronic inflammation, it aims to restore normal physiological regulation.

As rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes continue to rise worldwide, recognizing insulin resistance before diabetes develops has never been more important. The encouraging news is that insulin resistance does not have to become an inevitable pathway to chronic disease. From a bioregulatory perspective, it represents an opportunity to intervene while the body's self-healing mechanisms remain highly capable of restoring balance. By identifying and addressing the underlying causes of metabolic dysfunction—not merely suppressing symptoms—we can support the body's innate capacity for self-regulation, improve insulin sensitivity, restore metabolic resilience, and promote health throughout the entire body. Ultimately, our goal is not simply to prevent diabetes, but to help restore the health and vitality that allow the body to function as it was designed.

Well that's all for today's episode. We hop you enjoyed this practical guide to insulin resistance. Tune in in two weeks for another Science of Self Healing podcast.

Till then. Be well.

Thank you for your time today, and remember that this podcast is made possible by the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute, also known as BRMI, a nonprofit, global, non political, non commercial institute to promote the science and art of bioregulatory medicine. We extend our gratitude to each and every one of you for listening today, and if you haven't already, make sure to visit us at brmi.online. A treasure trove of invaluable information awaits you there. Connect with us across various social media platforms as well. Come and become a member of our thriving tribe. If you've enjoyed today's episode, we invite you to show your support by rating us, leaving us a review, or sharing the podcast within your circle. Our podcast and mission flourish through sharing, and your participation means the world to us. Our organization is sustained by donations, each of which is tax deductible and fuels projects like this. Visit our website, brmi.online, to contribute or simply to explore the wealth of uncensored and impartial information we offer. No contribution is too small. In just two weeks, we'll be back delving into another captivating topic. Until then, we thank you once again for listening. May wellness and wisdom be your path. Be well.

Bioregulatory medicine is a total body (and mind) approach to health and healing that aims to help facilitate and restore natural human biological processes. It is a proven, safe, gentle, highly effective, drugless, and side-effect-free medical model designed to naturally support the body to regulate, adapt, regenerate, and self-heal. BRMI is a non-commercial 501(c)(3) foundation and will expand and flourish with your support. Our goal is to make bioregulatory medicine a household term.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the direct care of a qualified health practitioner who oversees and provides unique and individualized care. The information provided here is to broaden our different perspectives and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.