Research

Hormonal

In nondiabetic obese individuals, insulin resistance is less prevalent (26%) than insulin hypersecretion (38%), and the severity of insulin resistance is significantly lower when normalized to fat-free mass rather than total body weight.

If you are obese but have normal blood sugar, you likely do not have severe insulin resistance. Your body is likely producing high amounts of insulin (hypersecretion) to keep your blood sugar normal. This is a different metabolic state than being 'insulin resistant,' and it may respond differently to diet and lifestyle changes. Focus on reducing the demand for insulin rather than assuming your metabolism is permanently broken.

StrongQualifiesVERY_HIGH confidence
By defining insulin resistance... 26% of all obese subjects were insulin resistant... Insulin hypersecretion... was significantly (P < 0.0001) more prevalent (38%) than insulin resistance in the obese group... the obese group was only 15–25%, on average, less sensitive to insulin than the lean group [when normalized by fat-free mass].
Ele Ferrannini et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 1997

Why this rating

Large sample size (n=1,146), rigorous measurement (euglycemic insulin clamp), and multi-center validation.

Source

Insulin resistance and hypersecretion in obesity. European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance (EGIR).

Ele Ferrannini et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 1997

DOI 10.1172/jci119628

cross_sectional · n=1146Cited 892×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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