But what happens when the cells stop responding to insulin properly? It means that you have insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells in your muscles, fat, and liver stop responding to insulin quickly enough, without being able to use glucose from your blood for energy.

To make up for it, the pancreas starts producing more insulin, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance is more common in people with obesity , high blood pressure hypertension , high cholesterol , and a sedentary lifestyle accompanied by a diet high in processed sugars and refined carbs.

You cannot know for sure that you have insulin resistance without running the necessary blood tests. Many factors can trigger insulin resistance, and one of them can be increased fat levels in your blood.

The main cause of elevated levels of fat is usually a diet high in calories, trans fats, and processed foods, which frequently lead to obesity, overeating, and sudden weight gain. Excess body weight may impact the increase in visceral fats — dangerous belly fats that accumulate around your organs.

These fats are responsible for releasing many free fatty acids to your blood, including inflammatory hormones that provoke insulin resistance syndrome. Signs of insulin resistance often result from unhealthy lifestyle habits, reflecting in:.

Mike Woodworth, a certified Chinese medicine and acupuncture practitioner from San Diego, California, provides the most comprehensive holistic treatments to help regulate insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity.

Book your appointment at , and start natural treatment to reverse insulin resistance on time. A healthcare practitioner will use several methods to determine whether you are insulin resistant or not. The most accurate indicators are blood tests, which can show high fasting insulin levels, high triglycerides, and low levels of so-called good cholesterol, also known as HDL high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Women with any hormone imbalance , including polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS are more prone to developing insulin resistance since their bodies cannot respond to insulin as quickly as they should.

Women with PCOS are at a higher risk of insulin resistance if they are over 40, overweight, have high blood pressure, are mostly inactive, and have high cholesterol. Polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS is a hormonal disorder that occurs in women during their reproductive age.

It is characterized by prolonged menstrual periods and the growth of small follicles of fluid on the ovaries. If untreated, PCOS may provoke severe complications, such as infertility , miscarriage, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and various chronic cardiovascular diseases.

Substantial weight gain can worsen the signs of PCOS, and provoke other severe health problems leading to diabetes and insulin resistance. Another common factor that may cause PCOS is insulin.

Excess insulin may increase the production of androgen, a male hormone, causing difficulties with ovulation and worsening the PCOS-related symptoms. It is vital to start your insulin resistance treatment on time to prevent PCOS and its consequences. High insulin levels may affect your general health and the ability to perform your everyday activities.

Lousy lifestyle habits are what affects insulin the most, which is why insulin sensitivity improvement lies in their change. Diet, sleep, physical activity, and stress management are the spheres you should improve in order to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and prevent the onset of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM has been recognized as one of the best anti-diabetic treatments. TCM and its therapies, including acupuncture and Chinese herbs, have potent anti-inflammatory effects that help maintain normal insulin levels and reduce stress while encouraging you to start implementing healthier lifestyle habits.

Natural cure for insulin resistance follows the holistic concept that encompasses various therapies focused on achieving optimal well-being. Therefore, it involves a nutrient-rich diet, stress management, exercise, and other techniques that inspire you to live healthily and happily.

Recent studies have shown that Chinese herbs have a strong anti-diabetic effect, improving the most common signs of insulin imbalance and regulating blood sugar levels. Adding specific herbs and spices to your food can reduce blood glucose, for example:.

The result is higher blood glucose levels, and ultimately prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Insulin has other roles in the body besides regulating blood glucose levels, and the effects of insulin resistance are thought to go beyond diabetes.

For example, some research has shown that insulin resistance, independent of diabetes, is associated with heart disease. Scientists are beginning to get a better understanding of how insulin resistance develops. For starters, several genes have been identified that make a person more or less likely to develop the condition.

It's also known that older people are more prone to insulin resistance. Lifestyle can play a role, too. Being sedentary, overweight or obese increases the risk for insulin resistance. It's not clear, but some researchers theorize that extra fat tissue may cause inflammation, physiological stress or other changes in the cells that contribute to insulin resistance.

There may even be some undiscovered factor produced by fat tissue, perhaps a hormone, that signals the body to become insulin resistant. Doctors don't usually test for insulin resistance as a part of standard diabetes care. In clinical research, however, scientists may look specifically at measures of insulin resistance, often to study potential treatments for insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

They typically administer a large amount of insulin to a subject while at the same time delivering glucose to the blood to keep levels from dipping too low.

The less glucose needed to maintain normal blood glucose levels, the greater the insulin resistance. Insulin resistance comes in degrees.

Nigella enhances insulin sensitivity in both human and animal studies, an effect that is enhanced with the addition of alpha lipoic acid. Cinnamon Well known for its culinary uses, cinnamon has powerful effects on insulin and blood sugar control. Even after a carbohydrate-rich meal, 3g of cinnamon leads to significant lowering of insulin.

Doses between g are effective in the treatment of insulin resistance. Berberine-containing herbs Berberine is a constituent found in various plants, such as coptis, Oregon grape, barberry, and goldenseal.

Interestingly, animal experiments show that it can reduce appetite. Nigella sativa Sometimes known as black seed, nigella has been used in European, Middle Eastern and Ayurvedic traditional medicine and is well-known for its anti-diabetic activity.

Polyphenols are micronutrients that are known to help with insulin resistance, weight loss, diabetes management, and other metabolic and cardiovascular diseases 7. Foods such as green tea, cocoa, and citrus fruits are high in polyphenols and can lower your risk of many diseases.

Studies have shown that green tea consumption is associated with lower rates of Type 2 diabetes, citrus can lower inflammation and the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, and cocoa can improve insulin resistance, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome 8. While it aids in the weight loss that can be necessary to increase insulin sensitivity for some, it also directly helps control glycemic and insulin response in diabetic patients 9.

A healthy diet with a high fiber intake is also linked to decreasing levels of low-grade inflammation across the body, making fiber a great three-pronged option to increase insulin sensitivity Many herbs have been used for centuries in Eastern medicine to treat insulin resistance, and are more commonly being recommended as potential treatment options by Western medicine as well.

Not only can the herbs and supplements listed below enhance insulin sensitivity and lower both fasting and post-meal blood sugar, but they can also improve overall blood lipid metabolism, systemic metabolism, blood pressure, and overall body weight Herbs that are widely accessible and easily added into your meals and teas include cinnamon, fenugreek, and ginseng.

Herbs that are best taken as supplements include berberine, astragaloside, resveratrol, coptis, gymnema, mulberry, and salvia Probiotics can boost general gut health, immunity, and mental health, and the positive effects even extend to insulin levels.

Studies have shown that probiotics can cause a significant increase in insulin sensitivity, better fasting glucose and insulin levels, and increased glucose uptake from the bloodstream into the body Probiotic supplementation may even benefit inflammation and fat storage in the liver, both of which correlate with insulin resistance Chromium, biotin, vanadium, and vitamin D all work to maintain healthy blood sugar and insulin levels.

Chromium helps metabolize carbohydrates and fats and, when added regularly to your diet as a supplement, can have a beneficial effect on glucose, insulin, and cholesterol levels 13, Biotin is well-known to help skin, nails, and hair by helping convert nutrients into energy the body can use.

In studies done on diabetic patients, biotin also improved glucose and lipid metabolism Vanadium is a mineral that can restore elevated blood glucose levels to healthy levels, as well as reduce the amount of insulin required to facilitate proper glucose absorption, otherwise known as increasing insulin sensitivity Adequate intake of vitamin D is associated with a reduced risk of developing diabetes and obesity and can improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity in both non-diabetic and diabetic people Some good news for all those who hate cardio workouts: dynamic strength training, whether by lifting weights or engaging in high-intensity interval training HIIT , is proven to be more effective at improving insulin sensitivity than cardio or endurance exercises Regularly participating in HIIT workouts can improve glucoregulation during workouts and even afterward during rest periods Beyond that, exercise can improve stress levels, stabilize energy and mood, and relieve depression symptoms.

This is significant, given that people who have severe insulin resistance are more than twice as likely to have depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders as compared to the rest of the general population If you have any of the symptoms listed above or are curious about being tested for insulin resistance, please reach out to us at TCIM to schedule an appointment.

Our Functional Medicine Physicians and Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Practitioners would be happy to help you manage and reduce insulin resistance, and lower your risk of developing diabetes.

We are here to talk through the diets, supplements, and lifestyle changes available and help you create and incorporate a plan that brings you to ideal health. It is our joy to assist you in creating sustainable lifestyle changes that will bring you real health. Jonathan Vellinga, M.

is an Internal Medicine practitioner with a broad interest in medicine. He graduated Summa cum laude from Weber State University in Clinical Laboratory Sciences and completed his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Upon graduation from medical school, he completed his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Michigan. Vellinga is board-certified with the American Board of Internal Medicine and a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine.

info tcimedicine. Insulin bloodsuger functionalmedicine TCIM health wellness treatment temecula. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New CDC report: More than million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes.

Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. de Luca, C. Inflammation and insulin resistance. FEBS letters.

Azar, S. Benefits of Ketogenic Diet for Management of Type Two Diabetes: A Review. Hardy, O. What causes the insulin resistance underlying obesity? While the prevalence of prediabetes is similar across racial and ethnic groups, the prevalence of diabetes is higher among American Indians, Alaska Natives, Hispanic Americans, and non-Hispanic Black Americans than among white Americans.

This means that people from historically marginalized groups may develop the condition sooner or at a faster rate. This article looks at lifestyle and dietary factors that may help a person improve their insulin sensitivity using natural therapies and products.

A review of 11 studies found an association between increased physical activity levels and improved insulin sensitivity. Exercise also uses some glucose in the blood, bringing blood glucose levels further into typical ranges. The findings of a review suggest that certain types of exercise may increase insulin sensitivity more than others.

The authors found that a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training was particularly effective for people both with and without diabetes.

In a study , 16 healthy people who were not getting sufficient sleep extended their sleep by 1 hour per day for 6 weeks. This extra sleep increased insulin sensitivity. Recent research suggests that replacing carbohydrates with unsaturated fats may improve insulin sensitivity in some people.

A study investigated the effects of a low carbohydrate diet on insulin sensitivity in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes. The researchers concluded that eating a diet low in carbohydrates can help improve insulin sensitivity in people with a BMI of over 30 or those with other risk factors for diabetes, such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

However, a more recent review from suggested that a low carbohydrate diet might actually increase insulin resistance, especially if a person is not losing body weight while following the diet. Although this fiber is a type of carbohydrate, the body cannot break it down fully.

As a result, it does not contribute to spikes in blood glucose levels. Soluble fiber also delays gastric emptying, which is the time it takes for a meal to leave the stomach and enter the small intestine. A small study suggests that this delay may help decrease blood glucose levels after meals in people with type 2 diabetes.

Intermittent fasting is a type of diet that focuses on the timing of meals rather than the specific foods in the diet. It may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes for certain people. A review investigated the effects of two methods of intermittent fasting in overweight and obese adults.

The first involved restricting calorie intake for 1—3 days per week and eating freely on the remaining days. As with a daily calorie-restricted diet, the researchers found that both types of intermittent fasting reduced insulin resistance.

However, this type of eating had no meaningful effect on blood glucose levels, so the authors concluded that more research is necessary. In addition to changing the foods in their diet, people looking to increase their insulin sensitivity may benefit from taking dietary supplements. Taking probiotics or omega-3 fatty acid supplements may improve insulin sensitivity in people who are overweight.

A clinical trial investigated the effects of both omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics on insulin sensitivity in 60 adults who were overweight but otherwise healthy. The researchers reported that taking either a probiotic or omega-3 supplement for 6 weeks led to significant improvements in insulin sensitivity in comparison with a placebo.

The increase in insulin sensitivity was even greater in those who took both supplements together. Learn everything you need to know about probiotics. Magnesium supplements may also be beneficial for people wanting to improve their insulin sensitivity.

A systematic review found that taking magnesium supplements for more than 4 months significantly improved insulin resistance in people with and without diabetes.

Read more about magnesium glycinate, a popular supplement. Resveratrol is a natural compound that occurs in the skin of red grapes. After a meal, as blood sugar rises, insulin is released, allowing glucose to move out of the blood, and stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Insulin sensitivity refers to how sensitive the body tissue is to insulin. A person with low insulin sensitivity has insulin resistance and is at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, increased hunger, frequent infections and increased thirst are all symptoms of insulin resistance.

Untreated insulin resistance can even lead to type 2 diabetes. Diet and lifestyle changes can have a major impact on insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when your cells do not respond well to insulin, meaning that your tissues can not take up glucose as well as they should.

To compensate, your pancreas continues to pump out more insulin to keep the blood glucose in the normal range. This can help in the short term, but in the long term the pancreas cannot keep up with the demand, leading to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

There is not one cause of insulin resistance, instead, it seems to be due to a number of lifestyles, environmental and genetic factors. Many of these also contribute to what is known as metabolic syndrome, or overall metabolic dysfunction in the body. Metabolic syndrome is defined by high blood sugar, low levels of HDL good cholesterol , high levels of triglycerides, an increased waist circumference, and high blood pressure.

Increased weight is strongly associated with insulin resistance. Not only is a higher weight a risk factor for insulin resistance, but insulin resistance can also lead to weight gain. This is because the cells can not respond to the rise in blood sugar levels, causing more glucose to be stored as fat.

Fat concentrated in the midsection, known as visceral fat, is most associated with insulin resistance. A waist circumference of greater than 40 inches for men or 36 inches for women is strongly associated with insulin resistance.

If the cells can not respond to the rise in blood sugar levels it will cause more glucose to be stored as fat. A sedentary lifestyle or decreased physical activity is also associated with insulin resistance.

Regular physical activity has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation, both playing a role in the prevention of insulin resistance and diabetes.

Genetic factors such as a family history of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance can also increase your risk. However, it is important to remember that lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep and stress management are the main determinants of metabolic health.

Both acute and chronic stress have also been associated with metabolic syndrome and the development of insulin resistance. This is due to the rise in cortisol that is triggered by stress. Cortisol causes an increase in both blood glucose levels and insulin levels, leading to an increased risk of developing insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is associated with a number of other conditions, including, but not limited to:. Symptoms of insulin resistance can be similar to those of prediabetes and diabetes. These include:. Bloodwork can be a useful tool in the assessment and diagnosis of insulin resistance.

Some blood work markers that are associated with insulin resistance include:. Hemoglobin A1c HbA1c : Your HbA1c shows your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. It is a great way to assess your overall glucose control.

Fasting Plasma Glucose FPG : FPG is used to assess glucose levels after a hour fast, and is generally measured first thing in the morning.

If your blood sugar levels are high after 12 hours of not eating, this is a sign that your body is not able to regulate blood sugar levels effectively.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test OGTT : OGTT is also performed after a hour fast. Following the fast, you drink a high-glucose liquid. Your blood glucose levels are then measured at different intervals to assess how your body is processing glucose.

Triglycerides: A blood triglyceride test assesses the amount of fat in your bloodstream. High triglyceride levels are associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

Cholesterol: An increased cholesterol, specifically high LDL is associated with metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance.

Getting adequate high-quality sleep is important for a number of functions in the body, but recent research has shown it is especially important for healthy metabolic function.