What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin resistance occurs when the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, the hormone that helps move glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into cells for energy. As a result, the pancreas produces more insulin to help keep blood glucose levels under control.
As insulin plays a vital role in energy use and metabolism, insulin resistance can affect how the body:
- Processes glucose
- Stores fat
- Regulates energy
Insulin resistance is closely linked to excess weight and is associated with an increased risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Does Insulin Resistance Cause Weight Gain?
Insulin resistance is commonly associated with weight gain, but the relationship is very complex. Rather than a simple cause-and-effect relationship, insulin resistance and weight gain often form a cycle, with each potentially contributing to the other.
While insulin resistance may make weight management more difficult for some individuals, carrying excess weight, particularly around the waist, can also contribute to insulin resistance.
Research involving more than 16,000 UK adults found that weight gain and insulin resistance can reinforce one another over time. This means that weight gain may worsen insulin resistance, while insulin resistance may create conditions that make further weight gain more likely.
The Cycle of Weight Gain & Insulin Resistance
Weight gain increases body fat, particularly visceral fat
Excess visceral fat has been known to worsen insulin resistance
Insulin resistance may make maintaining a healthy weight difficult
Further weight gain can develop over time
Risk Factors for Insulin Resistance
Several factors can increase the likelihood of developing insulin resistance, including:
- Excess body fat, especially around the waist
- Low levels of physical activity
- Poor diets high in refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (now known as Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS))
- Long-term stress
- Poor sleep quality
- Pregnancy
- Certain medications
- Some hormonal and metabolic health conditions
- Heart disease
- Family history and genetic factors
In many people, insulin resistance develops gradually and results from a combination of environmental, biological and lifestyle factors rather than a single cause. This can make weight management and metabolic health more challenging over time.
Signs & Symptoms of Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance does not always have noticeable symptoms, especially in its early stages. However, some people may experience:
- Weight gain, especially around the abdominal area
- Increased hunger and cravings for sugary or high-carbohydrate foods
- Fatigue or low energy levels
- Difficulty concentrating or "brain fog"
- Elevated blood sugar levels
- High blood pressure
- Unhealthy cholesterol or triglyceride levels
- Darkened patches of skin, particularly around the neck, armpits or groin (acanthosis nigricans)
In women, insulin resistance may also be associated with symptoms of PCOS, such as irregular periods, acne or excess facial and body hair.
Many of these symptoms can occur alongside other health conditions, so insulin resistance can only be diagnosed through appropriate medical assessment and testing, like blood tests.
Ways to Potentially Reverse Insulin Resistance
The official lifestyle protocols for managing and reversing insulin resistance are informed by joint guidelines from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), as well as evidence-based updates from Diabetes UK.
As lifestyle changes work through distinct biological mechanisms, clinicians recommend combining them rather than relying on just one for a more sustainable outcome.
What to Eat
Not all carbohydrates affect your blood sugar the same way. Foods like whole grains, oats, chickpeas, lentils, and pulses are digested slowly, so they release glucose more gradually and put less strain on your pancreas.
Low-GI foods (those with a score under 55 on the glycaemic index) are a good general guide. They help stabilise your blood glucose levels rather than causing sharp spikes.
Try to move away from white bread, white rice, and sugary drinks, which cause a rapid rise in blood sugar.
The type of fat you eat matters. Replacing saturated fats (found in fatty meats, butter, and processed foods) with healthier unsaturated fats can help your body respond better to insulin. Good choices include extra virgin olive oil and a small handful of unsalted nuts. Eating healthy fats also helps reduce cravings and keeps you feeling full for longer.
Clinical guidelines advise reducing the intake of red and processed meats (such as bacon, sausages, and deli meats). Instead, try to build meals around plant-based proteins like beans and lentils, white fish, or lean poultry. These choices support better blood sugar control and long-term heart health.
Monitoring your portion sizes is also worth doing, as even healthy foods can contribute to weight gain when eaten in large amounts, which has been linked to worsened insulin resistance.
Weight & Body Fat
Insulin resistance can make weight loss more challenging, but it can also cause weight gain, most commonly around the belly. This happens because elevated insulin levels encourage the body to store fat and actively prevent it from being broken down. Insulin resistance can also cause increased hunger and cravings for high-sugar foods, making it harder to stick to a healthy, nutritional routine.
Visceral fat (stored in the abdominal area and around the liver) is particularly harmful, as it directly worsens insulin resistance and promotes further weight gain. Monitoring your waist size is a useful way to track this risk over time.
Clinical trials show that losing just 5% to 7% of your total body weight can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 58%. This works largely because the liver is one of the first places the body draws on fat when in a calorie deficit. Reducing liver fat has a direct positive effect on insulin sensitivity.
The goal is not dramatic weight loss, but a steady, sustainable reduction that you can maintain. Some people also find that approaches like intermittent fasting can help regulate insulin levels.
How to Move
Clinical guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week. That’s roughly 30 minutes on most days. Aerobic exercise (anything that raises your heart rate, such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming) significantly improves insulin sensitivity. It helps your cells take up glucose more efficiently, so they need less insulin.
Regular exercise also helps your body use extra blood sugar more effectively, and the benefits begin with your very first session.
Alongside aerobic activity, try to include at least two sessions of resistance or strength training each week. This is important because building lean muscle increases muscle mass and improves insulin sensitivity. Larger muscles act like a bigger storage tank for glucose. In addition, muscle contractions allow glucose to enter cells directly, without requiring insulin as a middleman.
An important update in recent guidelines is the advice to avoid sitting for long stretches without moving. Try to stand up and do 2–3 minutes of light movement every 30 minutes, such as a short walk, some calf raises, or gentle stretching. This simple habit helps your body process blood sugar more steadily throughout the day.
Sleep, Stress & Other Habits
Sleep has a direct effect on blood sugar. Poor sleep can spike cortisol levels (the body’s main stress hormone), which can drive up blood sugar and worsen insulin resistance the following day.
Chronic stress keeps cortisol levels high, which promotes fat storage and directly worsens insulin sensitivity. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle in which insulin resistance, weight gain, and stress reinforce one another.
Finding strategies to manage stress, whether through exercise, breathing techniques, social connection, or professional support, is a meaningful part of metabolic health.
Clinical guidelines advise stopping smoking and minimising alcohol intake. Both tobacco use and heavy drinking increase cardiovascular risk in people with insulin resistance, and both can make the underlying condition harder to manage.
Contact Envigore to make sustainable changes with the help of a registered dietitian and a tailored weight-loss plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Insulin resistance can develop before type 2 diabetes and may increase the risk of developing the condition.
Insulin resistance can affect the way the body uses energy and stores fat. Some people may also experience increased hunger, cravings and difficulty regulating appetite, which can make weight gain more likely over time.
A combination of a balanced diet, regular physical activity, adequate sleep and stress management can help support weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity. If you are struggling to lose weight, speak to your GP or a qualified healthcare professional for personalised advice.
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At Envigore, we believe conversations about sensitive topics like insulin resistance, weight gain and treatment options deserve understanding and reliable judgment-free information. Our content is guided by patient perspectives and established medical research.
For additional context and transparency, readers can explore the medical resources and journal references included throughout this page.
Zou, Y. et al. Obesity, Sarcopenia, Sarcopenic Obesity, and Hypertension: Mediating Role of Inflammation and Insulin Resistance, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Volume 80, Issue 3, March 2025, glae284, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glae284
Gołacki, J., Matuszek, M., & Matyjaszek-Matuszek, B. (2022). Link between Insulin Resistance and Obesity-From Diagnosis to Treatment. Diagnostics, 12(7), 1681. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12071681
Weickert MO. Nutritional modulation of insulin resistance. Scientifica (Cairo). 2012;2012:424780. doi: 10.6064/2012/424780. Epub 2012 Sep 5. PMID: 24278690; PMCID: PMC3820526.
Marx N, et al., ESC Scientific Document Group, 2023 ESC Guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes: Developed by the task force on the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), European Heart Journal, Volume 44, Issue 39, 14 October 2023, Pages 4043–4140, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad192
The Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG) of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Evidence-based European recommendations for the dietary management of diabetes. Diabetologia 66, 965–985 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-023-05894-8
Freeman AM, Acevedo LA, Pennings N. Insulin Resistance. [Updated 2023 Aug 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507839/
About Your Clinical Team
This content was medically reviewed and approved by Danny Gian Hou Chu, a HCPC-Registered Physician Associate (PA38670), who oversees all prescribing decisions at Envigore.
All prescriptions are dispensed by Right Medicine Pharmacy, a GPhC-Registered Pharmacy (No. 9012382).
Nutritional guidance and lifestyle support are provided by Veronica Giudice, a HCPC-Registered Dietitian (DT26570) and British Dietetic Association member.
Last medically reviewed: June 2026