Q I'm not very overweight, but the test still showed insulin resistance. I have no weight to lose, so can this be managed?
A Even people who look thin can develop insulin resistance if they have a lot of visceral fat or little muscle mass. In this case, management aimed at reducing visceral fat and building muscle is more effective than weight loss.
Detailed Answer
There are quite a few in the "lean diabetes risk group" who have insulin resistance despite normal weight or being thin. This happens when there's a lot of visceral fat not visible on the outside, when there's little muscle mass so the power to use up blood sugar is weak, or when there's a genetic predisposition. So for such people, management that builds muscle through strength training and improves metabolism by cutting refined carbohydrates is more suitable than forcing further weight loss. The goal is to change the quality of metabolism, not the weight.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
In Korean medicine, we hold that even if you're thin on the outside, surplus accumulates if the inner power to handle metabolism weakens. It's "metabolic decline," not fat, that is the root. At Dongjedang, for such people we focus not on weight loss but on reviving the slumped metabolism and clearing the abdominal surplus to boost insulin sensitivity.
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