My nine year old daughter was diagnosed with insulin resistance about two years ago. She is followed by a pediatric endocrinologist who, so far, has had her exercising and watching her diet, although she continues to gain weight and has high blood pressure. This doctor has assured me that she does not have diabetes and is nowhere near it. But, every other source of information I get relates it to type 2 diabetes. I cannot get information anywhere on just insulin resistance without being a diabetic. He is now putting her on Glucophage to regulate the insulin and still says she is not a diabetic. Does this guy know what he’s doing? What information do you have on insulin resistance? Is it really diabetes or not, in a child?

There are thousands of medical articles about insulin resistance. I would suggest that you go to the PubMed or Google web sites to do a search. In simple terms, we think of insulin resistance as the genetic forerunner of diabetes, but before the blood glucose levels are really elevated. It is often associated with obesity, high blood pressure, early puberty, high blood fat levels, acanthosis nigricans, extra male hormones and in adolescents and adults, polycystic ovaries and irregular periods. The key is recognition and then also weight loss with fewer calories (especially cutting back carbohydrate and fats as well as food portions and snack portions) coupled with vigorous daily exercise lasting more than 45 minutes each day. Medications such as metformin (perhaps also in the future glitazones) are often added to try to counteract the insulin resistance that seems to be genetically predetermined.

SB