P3: Policies, Practices and Prevention

     While life is impossible without insulin, it’s not easy when one in ten of us have too much of it, either.  Even those of us who genetically duck the personal health impacts of insulin resistance cannot avoid paying the annual tax bill for care which is already more than four times the US movie industry's revenue. 

     The genes that cause insulin resistance cannot be changed, at least not yet, so that is not the direct path to disease prevention.  However, early identification of those with insulin resistance, combined with active prevention of the illnesses it causes can have an impact we will all appreciate. 

     Before we cover government and institutional policies that should change, but which we cannot fix as individuals, we have to accept responsibility for the things we can do. Each of us should strive for better health and fitness.  These are no-lose actions, even if you are not insulin resistant, but especially if you are.  For most of us, that includes weighing less than we do, being more fit, and eating smarter. 

• Check your weight and calculate your BMI (body-mass index). 
• If your waistline measures greater than your hips; ask your doctor to test for insulin resistance. 
• Ask your doctor, and your children’s doctors, to test fasting insulin and blood pressure levels no matter how healthy you or they feel.  
• Women, ask your doctor to administer metabolic and hormone blood tests in addition to fasting insulin to screen for insulin resistance and PCOS. 
• If you believe you have any metabolic syndrome and PCOS symptoms, consult your doctor without fail as you may have other, invisible symptoms that are more serious than those you can see. 
• Eat smarter to be lean.
• Exercise to be both lean and fit.

     For those with insulin resistance, the benefits of improved lifestyle are positively compounded over time, like interest on savings, so the earlier they are adopted, the more they pay off.  Such people get to be healthier during far more of their lives, and they add good years by staving off diseases that can kill. 

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