Last week we discussed why fasting insulin is the MOST important metabolic biomarker to be tracking. Now you are probably wondering what you can do to improve your fasting insulin. I’m so glad you asked!

Refresher

A quick refresher: Insulin is a hormone in your body that acts as your “money manager” for your glucose - it decides where it goes and is necessary for glucose to get into cells. It also controls fat storage when your cells, muscles, and liver are full. In a metabolically healthy person everything goes as planned but in a person who has insulin resistance things can go a little haywire when they eat carbohydrates. In someone who is insulin resistant our money manager insulin’s job and process are impaired. This can make glucose metabolism less effective leading to higher blood glucose levels because there is less glucose being absorbed by the muscles (our biggest glucose sink). When there is insulin resistance in the muscle (they no longer are taking more glucose) the liver continues to make more glucose adding to the already high levels of circulating blood glucose and also triggering an increase in triglyceride production (a type of fat).

Phew, now that we have that out of the way let’s get to the juicy stuff. We already know that insulin resistance is a driver of almost all chronic diseases: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, and speeds up the aging process. So what are we going to do about it?!

First, we will acknowledge that if you have or are developing insulin resistance, this is not your fault. We don’t have much education about insulin resistance in school or in the public health space. Unless you have an incredible doctor with extra time on their hands, our medical system is not set up to prevent disease. It’s also not your doctor’s fault. With an average of 7 - 10 minutes per patient, there is no time to educate anyone on preventing or managing chronic conditions until they are fully blown and deserving of a diagnosis code.

Move Your Body!

Exercise is by far the BEST way to improve your insulin levels. As we know, muscle is your biggest glucose sink so when you use your muscles, you use the stored glucose making room for more stored glucose. When you BUILD muscle you are creating a bigger storage unit for glucose! Exercise also helps to get rid of fat that is stored in the muscles when insulin resistance causes the body to go a little haywire. Just 45 minutes of aerobic exercise boosts your insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal. Translation moving your body and having more muscle mass means you need less insulin to keep your blood sugar levels in check. Moving your body is 0 cost and is the best investment you can make in your metabolic health.

Be Mindful of When You Have Your Meals

Meal timing has been explored by Satchin Panda of the Salk Institute. One of his more impressive experiments using the app My Circadian Rhythm found that people could improve their insulin sensitivity by changing when they ate. This is one of my favorite places to start with new clients who want to make a change but need to start someplace small. Time Restricted Feeding (TRF) is a useful tool that most people can implement with some small changes. Start by tracking when you have your first food and drink and when you finish for the day (water and caffeine-free herbal tea do not extend your eating window).

Get 8 Hours of Sleep

You know exactly how it feels to get a terrible night of sleep and then have to function the next day. You are cranky, tired, don’t want to move, and more prone to have extra caffeine and feel-good foods. It’s not just you, poor sleep makes us more likely to have cravings, make poor food choices, and be less likely to hit the gym. Now imagine being sleep-deprived for years😱. I had a young client who wanted nutrition help because they had the beginnings of insulin resistance, 2 autoimmune diseases, and a brand-new baby. As we got further into their story they shared they only sleep 4 hours a night and have been for YEARS. Our work then shifted to things we could do to increase the amount of time they were sleeping - that’s it. We are seeing more and more research highlighting the role that sleep plays in glucose and insulin regulation and now we are starting to understand why. Dr. Matthew Walker’s research is now showing that certain brain waves during sleep start a cascade of events that determine our level of insulin sensitivity the next day. This is really exciting because sleep is a 0 cost, painless intervention to improve your insulin sensitivity and lower glucose levels.

Be Mindful of Added Sugar

Sugar and the 60 other names that food manufacturers use on product labels can be really sneaky to track. If you are eating foods that come in their whole form like fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, meats, and seafood then you don’t need to worry. When you are eating food with a nutrition label you can check the ingredients for sugar but it’s easier to look at the “added sugar” listed on the label under the carbohydrates.  The FDA recommends women have no more than 25 g (6 tsp)/day and men now more than 38 g (9 tsp)/day.  This is a LOT of sugar when I am working with clients. I like to follow Dr. Casey Means.) recommendation of aiming for less than 10 g of added sugar/day. If you are an endurance athlete and spending hours a day training then more sugar may be necessary but if you are a regular human working a desk job, sooner or later sugar will catch up with your body. Spend a few days and take stock of how much sugar you are eating. It’s often in places you don’t think about like salad dressing, pasta sauce, condiments like mayo and ketchup, soup, pre-made meals, and bread. See how many grams a day you are consuming and start by reducing 10% for a week. See how you feel. Try another 10%, and another. You may find your mood is more stable, your clothes fit differently, your skin may look different and your sleep may improve.

Do It for Your Heart!

There are plenty of 0 cost ways to start lowering your insulin levels TODAY that don't require medication, supplements, or expensive equipment. Insulin resistance is a driver of almost all chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the top 3 non-accidental killers of women in the US before COVID. Being insulin sensitive - not having insulin resistance - lowers your risk of all 3.

Want more news like this? Join the newsletter so you don’t miss any articles, resources, or events!