Ways to Optimize Your Insulin Sensitivity
Dr. Nooshin K. Darvish
Quick Article Summary
Insulin resistance affects people of all ages and body types, raising the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke — often without obvious symptoms. This article provides an actionable list of dietary, lifestyle, and therapeutic strategies to improve sensitivity, including meal timing and composition order, intermittent fasting, herbs like berberine and cinnamon, and peptide therapies.
Insulin resistance or pre diabetes is an endemic in USA. Age does not matter. Insulin resistance affects young and old. Many may not realize they have it because they present with healthy weight. To help reduce insulin resistance, we need to make our cells more sensitive to insulin to improve blood sugar regulation and minimize our risks for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Here are some ways to help make your insulin more sensitive and responsive to regulating blood sugar levels.
Diet, Lifestyle, and Supplement Strategies for Insulin Sensitivity
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Regular intake of food (every three hours during the day)
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Intermittent cycle-based fasting for 13-17 hours, 1-3 times per week.
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Break your fast with healthy fats and some protein and fiber (e.g., veggies, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds)
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Daily exercise
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High Intensity Interval Training for 15 minutes, 1-3 times per week
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Avoid sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, processed foods, artificial sweeteners, farmed fish, food additives and alcohol
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Avoid exposure to chemicals through food and environment
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Eat within one hour of getting up
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Stress management
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Follow the food intake order: fats then protein, fiber/veggies, carbs/starch
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Chromium and magnesium supplementation
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Herbs: cinnamon, berberine extract, fucus vesiculosis, black cumin seed (Nigella sativa), holy basil, fenugreek, bilberry, turmeric, garlic, green tea
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Practice good sleep hygiene: get to bed before 10 pm and get 7-8 hours of sleep
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Emotional clearing
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Strengthen spiritual practices: meditation, prayer, unconditional service to others
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Peptide therapy: GLP-1, Semaglutide, IGF-1, LL-37, TB-4, BPC-157, MOTS-c
Learn more about insulin resistance, and other hormones by reading The Golden Gate: Unleash Your Feminine Powers to Graceful Aging by Dr. Nooshin Khoshkhesal Darvish.
Get evaluated and receive a personalized naturopathic regenerative treatment plan by one of our experts at Holistique
About the Author
Naturopathic physician with 30+ years in regenerative and integrative medicine at Holistique Medical Center in Bellevue, WA.
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