At this point, the glucose level rises, leading to diabetes. Prevention And Reversal Ideally, insulin resistance should be recognized early, through identification and testing of individuals at risk. Individuals found to be insulin-resistant can be treated with dietary counseling and medications for weight loss along with modest exercise. Exercise is an important component of the treatment since it actually sensitizes the muscles to the actions of insulin, thereby reversing insulin resistance. Since elevated blood sugars and hyperinsulinemia begin damaging tissues even before the diagnosis of diabetes is made, the physician's chief goal is to recognize impaired glucose tolerance or borderline diabetes as soon as possible.
Early treatment is the key to avoiding the potentially devastating complications of diabetes.
Dr. DePaoli joined the Sansum Medical Clinic from the University of Chicago where he completed his fellowship in adult and pediatric Endocrinology and residency in Internal Medicine. His undergraduate training was at the University of California at Davis in Biochemistry. Dr. DePaoli is particularly interested in the dynamics of obesity and insulin resistance.