In recent years, weight loss seems to have become a "national exercise" – there are always people in the circle of friends who are checking in and fasting, various fat loss meal tutorials are emerging on social media, and there are always people sweating on the treadmill in the gym. However, in the process of weight loss, many people will encounter such a puzzle: they have tried very hard to control their diet, or even diet more than others, but their weight does not move at all, or even increases instead of falling? The "invisible driver" behind this is likely to be a metabolic problem - insulin resistance.

What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, is the only hypoglycemic hormone in the body that provides energy to cells while lowering blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance is a state of decreased insulin sensitivity and/or decreased insulin responsiveness.

Insulin's hypoglycemic effect may be diminished when the target organs of insulin action (mainly liver, muscle, and adipose tissue) are less sensitive to insulin, and the pancreas needs to secrete more insulin to maintain euglycemia.

With the change of lifestyle and dietary adjustment, the prevalence of insulin resistance in the Chinese population is on the rise. According to the results of the survey on chronic diseases and risk factors in China, the prevalence of insulin resistance among adults aged 45 and above in some provinces and cities exceeded 0%, and the highest rate could reach 0.0%. Among them, men, people over 0 years old, living in cities, excessive alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activity, obese people, and people who have been in a high-sugar and high-fat diet for a long time are prone to insulin resistance.

How to break the "pancreatic insulin resistance"?

Studies have shown that dieting alone is often difficult to break through the bottleneck of insulin resistance, and exercise, especially in combination with aerobic exercise and resistance training, can effectively improve insulin sensitivity. Among them, aerobic exercise can help burn excess body fat, while resistance training can help increase muscle mass and increase basal metabolic rate, thereby improving insulin regulation in the long run.

Therefore, for those who fall into the cycle of "losing more and getting fatter" by simply dieting and losing weight, in order to effectively improve insulin resistance, it is recommended to:

Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, jogging, or cycling, per week.

Resistance training, such as apparatus training or bodyweight training, 3 to 0 times a week, focuses on major muscle groups.

Avoid fasting exercise. Pay attention to post-workout nutritional supplements to ensure adequate protein intake to help muscle repair and growth. (According to the WeChat public account of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention)