GLOSSARY

Hyperinsulinemia is insulin above expectation for the specified conditions.

For practical use, record meal and training timing, sleep and hunger alongside actual intake and performance trends. When a marker changes, first examine measurement conditions and plausible explanations; food decisions should support adequate supply, tolerance and recovery rather than ending the assessment at one molecular signal or assuming a concentration change automatically establishes a useful intervention.

Whole-body, liver, muscle and adipose insulin sensitivity are not one interchangeable measurement. Suppression of glucose production matters in liver, stimulation of uptake in muscle and suppression of lipolysis in adipose tissue. Resistance can differ between tissues and coexist with compensatory secretion. One fasting test without method and context cannot map the entire condition, and a postexercise change is not automatically evidence of disease or a need to eliminate carbohydrate.

Sensitivity is response to a given signal and is not identical to hormone concentration or receptor number. Receptor abundance, binding and downstream signaling can each alter response. Maximum responsiveness also differs from a shift in sensitivity. One blood value cannot describe all tissue receptors; assay type and target tissue are needed to interpret resistance or sensitivity rather than treating these as directly interchangeable concentration measurements.

Insulin is secreted by pancreatic beta cells and coordinates nutrient use and storage rather than simply being a fat-making hormone. Important effects include muscle and adipose glucose uptake, suppression of hepatic glucose production and regulation of lipolysis. Not every cell needs insulin for glucose entry. Postmeal concentrations vary with meal composition, tissue sensitivity and clearance, so one insulin excursion cannot determine overall dietary quality or an athlete's nutritional needs.