I want to preface this by stating that what is provided below is general information, but you should not construe anything here as specific medical advice to you. If you are concerned that you might have insulin resistance, go talk to your doctor for guidance on what to do. And if I happen to be your doctor, come see me and let’s work out a specific plan – which will almost certainly touch on many of the things discussed in this post, but will be more tailored toward your specific needs and lifestyle.
With all of that said, here are ten things that will generally improve insulin resistance. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but most people will see big improvements in their health from following even a few of the following pieces of advice:
Lose fat – this is of course not an easy thing to do. Tips for how to lose weight will be the subject of a future blog post – and are the focus of a lot of my work with patients. But as a general rule, it’s helpful to know that insulin resistance almost always improves significantly with fat loss. So however you do it – keto diet, vegan diet, calorie counting diet, etc – if you have insulin resistance, trying to lose weight is a very worthwhile endeavor.
Gain muscle – muscle is very metabolically active tissue, and thus it has a high demand for fuel sources such as glucose and carbohydrates. Therefore, all other things being equal, a person with more muscle will have better blood sugar control and lower insulin levels than somebody who is undermuscled. As with losing fat, the specifics of how to gain muscle would take an entire series of blog posts in and of itself, so I can’t cover it here. But it’s worth stressing the point that gaining muscle is very metabolically protective, since so many patients either don’t exercise, or focus all of their exercise efforts on “cardio” type training such as jogging, or light activities such as yoga or pilates. While these are excellent things that have their own health benefits (in other words, cardio training and mobility work such as pilates are terrific things to do and I am not advocating that you stop doing them if you like them), it’s also important for the average person to do at least some strength training that focuses on growing more lean muscle mass, such as weight lifting or working out with kettlebells or resistance bands.
Get adequate sleep – most people intuitively understand that eating well and exercising leads to better insulin/glucose metabolism, but people often overlook the benefits of adequate sleep. Studies consistently show that people have much less insulin resistance on the day following a good night of sleep than on the day following a poor one. Again, how to sleep better is a broad topic that I will cover at some point in the future, but for now just understand that prioritizing sleep is important.
Walk after meals – taking even a five or ten minute walk after eating can dramatically lower your blood sugar and your body’s insulin needs. If you do nothing else, getting into the habit of taking a short walk right after you eat can significantly reduce insulin resistance.
Do Soleus push ups – the soleus is the muscle at the back of your calf, and a fascinating study in 2022found that doing “soleus push ups” – basically fidgeting your heel up and down off the floor repeatedly (see here for a demonstration video) – can dramatically lower blood glucose and insulin levels. Soleus push ups are something that you can do in many otherwise sedentary situations, for example while sitting at your desk, watching TV, or in the midst of a flight.
Prioritize fiber and protein at mealtimes – many people know that eating fewer carbohydrates can lead to improved blood glucose and a lower need for insulin. (So can eating less saturated fat, which is why many studies show that vegans, who typically eat a LOT of carbohydrates, also tend to have good blood glucose and less insulin resistance). But short of changing your diet entirely to cut out carbs or saturated fats, you can make some improvement in your glucose levels simply by changing the order in which you eat so that you prioritize your intake of fiber and protein. For example, you will have less of a glucose spike and less insulin secretion if you eat a piece of roast chicken and some broccoli followed by a bowl of pasta than if you eat the bowl of pasta first and then have the chicken and broccoli afterward. So try to make sure there’s some protein and vegetables on your plate, and then eat that part of the meal before tucking into your carbs and fats.
Practice intermittent fasting/time restricted eating – intermittent fasting, also called time restricted eating, has become very popular in recent years as a weight loss tool. This is another area that I intend to cover in more detail in future posts. For now, the short version is that in this practice a person puts themselves on a daily eating schedule, for example from noon to 8pm each day, ingesting only water and other non-caloric beverages (black coffee, tea, sparkling water, etc) during the rest of the day. While the weight loss benefits of this are variable, many studies have shown that even in the absence of weight loss, this type of lifestyle tends to lead toward better glucose regulation. There are probably at least two reasons for this: 1) during the fasted state, insulin levels will remain very low which means that, if nothing else, a person who follows this eating schedule will have fewer hours per day during which their insulin levels are high, and 2) increasing amounts of evidence suggest that the human body functions best when it follows a regular daily schedule, a fascinating field known as circadian biology that I will have much more to say about in the future.
Manage stress – we live in a very stressful society, and stress raises the hormone cortisol, which in turn leads to higher glucose levels. While there’s no easy fix for stress, there are certainly proven ways to reduce it, with mindfulness exercises such as meditation, and light physical activity (e.g. a walk) both shown to be very effective. Therefore spending a few minutes per day in meditation, prayer, or another mindfulness activity and getting in your post-meal walks are both great habits to lower your glucose levels.
Try berberine – berberine is a popular supplement that has been shown to typically be safe, and to have mild impacts in lowering both blood glucose and cholesterol levels. (Some also swear by it as a weight loss tool, although there is not as much evidence for that). A typical dose is 500mg taken once or twice daily with meals. Side effects can include headaches or GI upset, but more serious problems are rare. Nonetheless, I would again stress that if you are thinking of taking this or any other supplement, you should only do so under the guidance of a physician. If you are my patient and are interested in trying Berberine, you can buy my recommended brand at a discount by clicking the link to my Fullscripts page.
Eat more cinnamon – cinnamon has been shown to have a mild blood sugar lowering property, and I have even had some of my diabetic patients take cinnamon capsules over the years with modest but favorable results. However, for the average person it’s probably sufficient to just find more ways to sneak cinnamon into your diet. For example, I always sprinkle a bit into my black coffee in the morning, or on top of greek yogurt.
There is a lot more that can be said about each of the above measures – and, there are a lot more steps than just the ten listed above that can be helpful for insulin resistance. Again, if you are concerned about having this condition, seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
However, the above list should give you some confidence that, if you do have insulin resistance, you do not have to be stuck with it. There are many tools available to help you to fix this problem.
