When your body doesn't respond to insulin well, it keeps making more insulin, which tricks your kidneys into holding onto salt all day long.
Scientific Claim
Insulin resistance results in chronically elevated insulin levels, causing the kidneys to continuously retain sodium due to persistent hormonal signaling.
Original Statement
“But in someone with insulin resistance, which describes the majority of adults in the UK and the US, insulin doesn't fall. It stays elevated throughout the day because cells aren't responding to it properly anymore. So, the pancreas has to keep producing more just to maintain normal blood sugar. When insulin is chronically high, the kidneys never get the signal to release sodium. They're locked into retention mode.”
Context Details
Domain
cardiology
Population
human
Subject
insulin resistance
Action
causes
Target
chronic renal sodium retention
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
This study finds that insulin resistance is linked to the development of kidney disease in people with healthy kidneys, supporting the idea that insulin resistance can harm kidney function.
This study shows that insulin treatment can lead to sodium retention in diabetes patients, directly supporting the idea that insulin can cause the kidneys to hold onto sodium.
Contradicting (2)
Preserved response to diuretics in rosiglitazone-treated subjects with insulin resistance: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study
This research finds that a certain treatment for insulin resistance does not affect how well diuretics work, suggesting that the relationship between insulin resistance and sodium retention might be more complex.
This study finds that high insulin levels can cause sodium retention but also lower blood pressure, which complicates the idea that insulin resistance directly leads to high blood pressure through sodium retention.