Diabetes cases are surging in India and experts are now wondering if traditional Indian diet habits ad modern lifestyle have anything to do with it. Read on. Insulin Resistance is increasingly being spoken about in health discussions in India.
Its connections to stubborn weight gain and conditions like PCOS and Type 2 Diabetes have raised a lot of questions that need to be answered. What does insulin resistance mean, and what is its link to Indian diets and lifestyle? Simply speaking, insulin resistance sets in when your cells quit responding to insulin effectively. Insulin is a hormone that helps transport excess blood sugar into liver and muscle cells.
Once this process stops working properly, it leads to a rise in blood sugar levels, which in turn can lead to more serious health conditions like obesity, prediabetes or even type-2 diabetes. Genetics, as well as key factors of lifestyle like nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management, are the main drivers of insulin resistance. As is evident by the sharp rise in obesity, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in the country, India appears to be at the epicentre of this condition, driven not only by genetics but also by a 'perfect storm' of other lifestyle factors that are contributing to its development.
Traditional diets that once worked well for Indians, when combined with today's sedentary lifestyles, Western food influences and inconsistent meal patterns are simply not working any more. Identifying these changing patterns.