Insulin resistance: A review

Abstract

Insulin resistance is a state in which there are impaired biological and physiological responses to insulin in tissue. In its early stages, there is a compensatory increase in insulin concentrations. Although hyperinsulinemia may compensate for resistance to some biological actions of insulin, it may result in over expression of actions in tissues that retain normal or minimally impaired sensitivity to insulin. This metabolic dysfunction leads to a cluster of abnormalities with serious clinical consequences – most importantly, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.