Insulin resistance syndrome is a pathology that precedes the onset of diabetes. What is the NOMA index? Thanks to the indicators of this index, it is possible to determine the lack of sensitivity to the action of insulin at an early stage of the disease, as well as to assess the estimated risk of developing diabetes mellitus, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and atherosclerosis. In this article, we will take a closer look at what the HOMA index is, in what cases it needs to be identified, and also what is its norm.
What is insulin resistance?
Insulin resistance is the loss of sensitivity of the cells of the human body to the effects of insulin. In the presence of this condition in a person, the level of insulin in the blood rises, and the amount of glucose also increases. If this condition is combined with dyslipidemia, obesity, impaired sugar tolerance, then thispathology will be called metabolic syndrome. Speaking about what the HOMA index is, you need to understand that with the help of this analysis, the sensitivity of the human body to insulin is revealed.
Causes of disease development
Insulin resistance begins to develop under the influence of the following factors:
- Hormonal failure in the body.
- Overweight.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Using certain medications.
- Unbalanced diet, in particular carbohydrate abuse.
This is not the whole list of reasons for the development of such a disease as insulin resistance. In patients who abuse alcohol, this condition is also often observed. In addition, this pathology accompanies thyroid diseases, Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome, polycystic ovaries, pheochromocytoma. In some cases, insulin resistance is diagnosed in the fair sex during pregnancy.
Disease symptoms
Clinical symptoms begin to manifest themselves at a later stage in the development of the disease. Individuals who are insulin resistant have abdominal obesity, where fat is deposited in the abdomen. In addition, they can observe changes in the skin: hyperpigmentation in the neck, armpits, mammary glands. In addition, in these patients, blood pressure increases, the psycho-emotional background changes, and problems with digestion appear.
Now let's take a closer look at what the HOMA index is and how to determine it.
Calculation of the insulin resistance index
HOMA index stands for Homeostasis Model assessment of insulin Resistance. Above, we figured out what the HOMA index is, but how to determine it? To determine this indicator, you need to do a blood test. Speaking about how to calculate the HOMA index, you should know that two formulas are used for this: the CARO index and the HOMA-IR index:
- The CARO formula is as follows: the amount of glucose in the plasma, taken on an empty stomach, must be divided by the insulin values, in the analysis passed on an empty stomach. The result should not exceed the norm 0, 33.
- The HOMA-IR formula will look like this: insulin values (in the analysis taken on an empty stomach) must be multiplied by the amount of glucose in the plasma taken on an empty stomach, and the result should be divided by 22.5. The norm of the HOMA index in this case should be no more than 2, 7.
How to get tested correctly?
The formulas for calculating this indicator were described above. But how to take an analysis of the HOMA index? First of all, it should be noted that the analysis is taken from a vein, after which an insulin resistance test is done. Determination of insulin resistance and diagnosis is carried out subject to the following rules:
- Before taking a blood test for the HOMA index, it is forbidden to smoke for 30 minutes before the procedure.
- Before the analysis, you should also refrain fromeating.
- Blood is taken on an empty stomach in the morning.
- It is forbidden to engage in physical activity for half an hour before taking the test.
- The patient must notify the attending physician in case of taking any medications.
But if the HOMA index is raised, what does it mean? We will talk about this in the next section.
What is the normal insulin resistance index?
The optimal value of this analysis should not exceed 2.7. The fasting blood glucose value used to calculate this index may vary depending on the age of the patient. For example, insulin resistance index scores will range from 3.3 to 5.6 among patients who are under 14 years of age. Persons over the age of 14 have an index ranging from 4.1 to 5.9.
Insulin resistance index abnormal
The HOMA index is increased if its value is more than 2.7. An increase in this indicator may indicate the presence of some pathologies. The physiological index of insulin resistance may increase if the conditions were not met before the test. In this situation, the analysis must be retaken, after which the indicators are evaluated again. But if all conditions are met, then the indicator of insulin resistance can be increased due to the development of diabetes mellitus, as well as other diseases that were described above in the article.
Should alsopay attention to the fact that the norm of the HOMA index for women and men will be exactly the same. As mentioned earlier, the difference is only in the age of the patient.
Excess insulin in the blood in the male and female body negatively affects the state of blood vessels, while provoking the progression of such a disease as atherosclerosis. In addition, the hormone can contribute to the accumulation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of arteries, the formation of blood clots and thickening of the blood. All this increases the risk of developing a heart attack, stroke, cardiac ischemia, as well as diseases of other organs.
If we talk separately about diabetes mellitus, then at the stage of insulin resistance, the human body produces a large amount of insulin, while trying to compensate for the deficiency of glucose in the blood, thus overcoming the immunity of the tissue. However, over time, the insular apparatus begins to deplete, and the pancreas is no longer able to synthesize this hormone in the required volume. The amount of glucose increases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus begins to develop.
In addition, an increased rate of insulin resistance can cause the development of chronic hypertension in men and women. Insulin directly affects the functioning of the nervous system, increases the amount of norepinephrine, which causes vasospasm. As a result, the patient's blood pressure increases. The protein hormone begins to delay the excretion of fluids and sodium from the human body, which can alsoprovoke the development of hypertension.
Violation of insulin resistance in women can provoke a violation in the reproductive organs. Polycystic ovary syndrome begins to develop, as well as infertility. A large amount of insulin in the blood causes an imbalance of harmful and beneficial lipoproteins. And this increases the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis of the vessels or exacerbates existing diseases.
Features of therapy
What to do if the HOMA index increased? Is it possible to completely cure insulin resistance? To restore metabolic processes in the human body, you need to regularly engage in physical activity, adhere to a low-carbohydrate diet, give up bad habits, follow a diet, rest and sleep.
When the specialist receives the results of the study, he must prescribe drug therapy, which is based on the individual characteristics of the patient's body. In parallel with this, the doctor must prescribe an appropriate diet for a patient who has an elevated HOMA index.
From his diet he will have to exclude potatoes, sweets, semolina, pasta, white bread. It is allowed to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy products, rye and bran bread.
Is it possible to completely get rid of insulin resistance? If you adjust your lifestyle in a timely manner, you can significantly reduce the risk of pancreatic depletion, as well as normalizemetabolism, while simultaneously increasing the susceptibility of cells to a substance such as insulin.
Another important criterion for treatment is getting rid of extra pounds and exercise. The main number of insulin receptors is concentrated in muscle tissue, which is why during physical exertion, the absorption of the hormone is observed. Weight loss helps normalize blood pressure.
If diet therapy and physical activity do not give any results, then this indicator can be normalized by taking special hypoglycemic medications.
Who is exposed to disease?
Diabetes mellitus or insulin resistance in most cases are those patients in whom at least one of the parents had this disease. However, not only the genetic cause leads to this disease. Other factors can also influence the occurrence of the disease, for example, addictions, excess weight, constant stress, hormonal failure, a sedentary lifestyle, an unbalanced and incorrect diet.
Conclusion
Don't panic ahead of time if patients show an increased index of insulin resistance during research. In this case, you need to follow the advice of experts, change your daily diet, as well as your lifestyle. After that, after a few months, you should re-donate blood for analysis. As a rule, subject to diet therapy and other doctor's recommendations, the indicatorindex starts to decrease.
