Insulin Resistance - The Root Cause
A 50-year index comparison: insulin resistance (USA & UK) against nine conditions — ADHD, Asthma, Type 2 Diabetes, Arthritis, IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Hypertension, Stroke, and OCD – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. All series indexed to 1975 = 1.0. The near-parallel rise across all conditions in both countries over 50 years is the pattern this series set out to test.
All Pearson Correlation Coefficients — A Measure of Association with Insulin Resistance (0 to 1.0) ↗ All condition links open in a new tab
Group 1 — Metabolic, Neurological & Respiratory Conditions
ADHD · Asthma · Type 2 Diabetes · Arthritis · IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome
USA — Group 1 Conditions Indexed to 1975 = 1.0
Relative growth since 1975 | All series normalised for comparison
UK — Group 1 Conditions Indexed to 1975 = 1.0
Relative growth since 1975 | All series normalised for comparison
Group 2 — Neuroinflammatory, Cardiovascular & Psychiatric Conditions
Multiple Sclerosis · Hypertension · Stroke · OCD – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
USA — Group 2 Conditions Indexed to 1975 = 1.0
Relative growth since 1975 | All series normalised for comparison
UK — Group 2 Conditions Indexed to 1975 = 1.0
Relative growth since 1975 | All series normalised for comparison
0.83
Lowest r — any condition, either country
0.98
Highest r — any condition, either country
9
Conditions tested across 2 countries
>0.7
Epidemiological threshold for a strong correlation
What the pattern shows: Across two countries, over 50 years, and across nine very different disease categories — neurological (ADHD, OCD), respiratory (asthma), metabolic (T2DM), musculoskeletal (arthritis), gastrointestinal (IBS), neuroinflammatory (MS), and cardiovascular (hypertension, stroke) — the correlation with rising insulin resistance is consistent, strong, and in some cases near-perfect. The lowest r value in this dataset is 0.83. In epidemiology, a correlation above 0.7 is considered strong. Every single condition in this series exceeds that threshold in both countries. This does not prove that insulin resistance causes these conditions individually — ecological correlation is not individual-level causation, and age, diagnostic expansion, and improved surveillance all contribute independently. But the pattern is there, it is consistent, and it demands explanation. The most plausible single mechanism connecting this breadth of conditions across this timescale is chronic systemic inflammation driven by hyperinsulinaemia.
What is r? Pearson correlation coefficient. 0 = no relationship | 1.0 = perfect parallel rise. Above 0.7 = strong. Population-level association — not proof of individual causation.
Full detail pages for each condition
Hypertension |
Stroke |
Alzheimer's Disease |
Asthma |
ADHD |
Arthritis |
OCD |
Multiple Sclerosis |
Irritable Bowel Syndrome |
Type 2 Diabetes