People with rheumatoid arthritis more likely to develop insulin resistance

People with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to develop insulin resistance, according to new research.
The researchers stressed that the nature of the relationship was not entirely clear, but they discovered significant correlation between the two conditions.
The study, conducted at Columbia University in New York City, revealed that average insulin resistance levels in people with rheumatoid arthritis were 31 per cent higher than those of people who do not have rheumatoid arthritis.
Previous research has indicated a link between arthritis and insulin resistance, but this study sheds a light on a few new factors. It is also the largest study ever conducted on the relationship between insulin resistance and rheumatoid arthritis.
For example, patients with rheumatoid arthritis are not, according to the study, did not have the increased risk of heart disease associated with insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance refers to the body’s inability to use the insulin it produces as effectively as it needs to. Insulin resistance is one of the key factors in the development of type 2 diabetes. When the blood glucose levels of people with insulin resistance are elevated, the insulin produced is not able to effectively regulate them. Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, who don’t produce enough insulin, the insulin of people with insulin resistance simply does not do its job properly.
“The etiology of higher insulin resistance among this low-risk [rheumatoid arthritis] group is unclear but is likely multifactorial,” the authors wrote.