Insulin resistance in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Does it exist and can it be measured?

Several techniques that have been used to quantify in vivo insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) have been critically reviewed. An attempt has been made to outline both the advantages and disadvantages of the specific approaches, as well as to summarize the results of the application of these methods in assessment of insulin action in patients with NIDDM. Although th details of the techniques that have been used vary considerably, the results obtained with all of them are quite consistent, and demonstrate unequivocally that the ability of insulin to stimulate glucose utilization is markedly reduced in patients with NIDDM.