Hear from our experts

Glucose, also known as blood sugar, is the body’s main source of fuel. We get most of the glucose from foods and drinks that contain carbohydrates. The foods we eat are broken down and processed by the digestive system and liver and glucose is then released into the bloodstream for the cells to take it in.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. The glucose circulating in the blood is derived from the foods we eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose to be transported into cells to be used for energy. Sometimes the body doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in the blood.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

Unlike for pre-diabetes or diabetes, there is no standard set of diagnostic tests to determine insulin resistance. Pre-diabetes and diabetes are diagnosed based on elevated blood glucose levels. Insulin resistance is a progressive condition that often remains hidden until it has already developed into pre-diabetes or diabetes. There are very few methods to reliably detect early onset insulin resistance. Measuring blood glucose levels has very little use, until the insulin resistance has already progressed to pre-diabetic state.