Easy ways to boost your insulin sensitivity that you can implement today
Nutritionist-approved ways to boost your insulin sensitivity if you live with T1D
(Originally published on the Quin Diabetes Management app blog)
Insulin sensitivity 101
Why is it important for anyone with type 1 diabetes to view their management through the lens of insulin sensitivity? Well, the goal is for us to keep blood glucose levels within a target range without losing our sanity (restriction is not the answer). A great way to manage blood glucose is to work on something called insulin sensitivity – the converse insulin resistance. You might think that resistance is exclusively an issue for those with type 2 diabetes. Well, it’s possible that insulin resistance is also a problem for you and your type one diabetes management.
When I work with clients, we implement changes that allow us to zoom out, look at the bigger picture and work on increasing insulin sensitivity in the background i.e. across the whole day, week, month. This then allows them to enjoy a meal out (with unknown carb quantities) or tuck into a slice of birthday cake without entering the blood sugar rollercoaster too much. A slice of birthday cake might push you up and out of range, but what’s important is that we minimise how high blood sugars go and that we encourage them to come back down quickly. Working on your insulin sensitivity allows for this.
How to improve insulin sensitivity
It’s necessary to focus on a range of areas – hormones, nutrition, exercise, sleep cycles, inflammation, biochemistry i.e. the cornerstones of insulin sensitivity. Let’s look at a few topics below.
Nutrition
Get Carb Smart: Current research indicates that insulin sensitivity can be increased by prioritising carbohydrates that come from whole foods and complex sources. The Mediterranean diet also prioritises complex carbs and is another approach that supports not only blood sugar balance, but overall health and longevity in the long run. Why? Mostly because it has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, is high in fibre and focuses on both what you’re eating and how you’re eating (think big family celebrations, mindful consumption & healthy food relationships). Clinical and personal experiences have shown me that an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean approach with a diversity of complex carbohydrates can be highly effective at boosting insulin sensitivity.
Importantly, no one size fits all when it comes to food and type 1 diabetes. Maybe you follow a plant-based approach but your T1D pal adopts a lower-carb lifestyle. There is not one ‘perfect’ way of eating and lots of people can achieve their glycaemic goals in a myriad of ways.
What’s key is that no matter how many carbs you choose you eat, it’s sensible to focus on complex sources and get Carb Smart. This way you will be consuming carb sources that offer the most nutrition and prevent any blood sugar spikes. Not all carbs are created equal:
Focus on whole foods, low glycaemic load and complex carbs (instead of simple sugars)
Oats in porridge or overnight oats
Root vegetables roasted (butternut squash, sweet potato, parsnips)
Lentils and pulses (add these to soups, stews, salads)
Grains like quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat
The humble potato, or sweet potato if you fancy an extra dose of vitamin A.
Watch The Fat: particularly saturated and trans saturated. It’s easy for us with type 1 diabetes to default to fat-heavy foods as they have little impact on blood sugars in the immediate term, but they will affect control over a longer period of time. Aim for mono- and poly-unsaturated fats like olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocado, oily fish.
Power To The Plants: I’m not vegetarian or vegan, but I am a huge plant lover. And for good reason! Fruits and vegetables are packed full of antioxidants (basically, substances that prevent or slow damage to cells). For those living with T1D, upping your antioxidants is a smart move. Whenever blood sugars go out of range (which is inevitable, type 1 diabetes is not a perfect science and people with T1D are not robots), this can cause damage to our body cells.
So, it’s smart to include a healthy number of antioxidants in your diet. Think of them as like mops that are able to ‘mop up’ any free radical damage. The more colour, the better and diversity is key. Aim for 8 portions a day. If you can manage 10, you’ll be my new hero.
Exercise
After nutrition, exercise is the next best insulin sensitizer. Exercise allows glucose to shuffle into the cell (to be used for respiration) in the absence of insulin. Increasing exercise can increase insulin sensitivity for a few days post-exercise. Research also suggests that a combination of resistance and cardio exercise works best. This is because cardio is the most potent insulin sensitizer, but resistance training can reduce blood glucose levels for the longest period post-exercise (up to 72 hours!). That being said, what’s important is that you find a way of moving that suits you and you can stick with – consistency is key! ⠀
Sleep
I know, I know – another healthcare professional banging on about the importance of sleep, but hear me out! Getting that shut eye is super important for all aspects of health, not just T1D management. It allows the body to conduct important maintenance work, to repair any damage and to stave off any illness. Latest research suggests a correlation between sleep loss and increased insulin resistance in populations of people with T2D, and one small study has shown that even 24 hours of sleep deprivation can lead to elevated fasting and post-meal blood glucose levels.
Stress management
Ever find that when you’ve got a stressy day at work, or you have to present in a meeting, you might find your blood sugars persistently elevated? Well this is all thanks to our stress response.
When we’re in sympathetic nervous system activation (fight or flight), a few things happen:
the body wants to ensure there is readily available sugar that can be used for energy.
the liver kicks in and releases stored glycogen into the bloodstream i.e. increasing blood glucose levels.
the body releases stress hormones including cortisol which make us more insulin resistant, increasing blood glucose levels.
Stress is a tricky one. The body is trying to help us out, but it’s a struggle for anyone who’s pancreatically-challenged. The main issue is that stress is unpredictable. Unlike carb counting, it’s hard to bolus the correct amount for stress. Plus, as soon as the stressor disappears, our blood glucose levels can drop quickly.
So, what can we do? Well, you can support your nervous system by using techniques to get your body into parasympathetic nervous system activation (rest and digest, the opposite of fight or flight).
Here are three destressing tips that you can adopt today:
Breathing techniques. This is an excellent way to shift into rest and digest and begin to unwind. You could try box breathing (inhaling for a count of four, holding for a count of four and exhaling for a count of four), or 4-7-8 breathing (inhale for a count of four, hold four a count of seven and exhale for a count of eight).
Meditation. Even if only for a few minutes a day, taking a pause to meditate can be an excellent way to lower stress levels (& lower blood glucose levels while you’re at it!). I like apps like Headspace, Insight Timer and Ten Percent, but there are also lots of free recordings on YouTube.
Have different insulin ratios or basal profiles when you know you’re going to be feeling more stressed i.e. an exam.
Anti-inflammation
Let’s talk about inflammation for a minute. Acute (short-term) inflammation is triggered by damage to the body and should be “switched off” once the body has healed. Chronic (long-term) inflammation occurs when the switch doesn’t work correctly and turns inflammation from a helpful healing tool into something that causes unnecessary damage – and this is what’s been linked to heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
Type 1 diabetes can be considered a pro-inflammatory condition. It is also an autoimmune condition. Autoimmunity arises when incorrect immune responses target self-tissues causing inflammation. In T1D, cells attack the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets, causing irreversible damage.
Hence, adopting an anti-inflammatory diet is a great way to go for anyone with autoimmunity.
Top tips:
Oily fish are packed with omega 3 fatty acids that are known to modulate the inflammatory response. Focus on salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines and aim for 2-3 portions per week.
Vitamin E is anti-inflammatory (find it in nuts, particularly almonds & seeds).
Garlic, ginger and curcumin (found in turmeric) are excellent anti-inflammatory compounds. Add them freely to curries, stews and stir-fries.
Vitamin C is another great option (you can load up by eating kiwi fruit, red bell pepper, strawberries, oranges).
Pre-bolusing
One of my favourite tools in our T1D toolkit. Ensuring consistent pre-bolusing is really important when it comes to reducing those post-meal spikes.
Questions you need to ask when deciding how long to pre-bolus for:
What is my current blood glucose?
What food am I about to eat? (specifically, the glycaemic load of carbs)
Am I eating protein, fibre or fat with this meal? (These slow down the absorption of carbs)
What meal is this? (i.e. breakfast may have the dawn phenomenon at play.
You can use the Quin app to create a quick reminder to have the food you’re planning to eat. In the process, you can also record your insulin to track exactly when it starts taking effect. The app will ensure you don’t forget. Alternatively, timer on your phone so you don’t forget. For more detailed guidance on the latter method, read this Instagram post.
What About Supplements?
Certain supplements have been indicated to improve insulin sensitivity. For example, alpha-lipoic acid, chromium, myo-inositol and magnesium. It’s really important to work with a healthcare professional if you’re thinking of using supplements – in some cases, you might not need to supplement, or it may even be unsafe if you do.
Working with a nutrition professional to help you target your individual challenges and blocks. If you’re struggling with insulin resistance, are getting fed up of going round in circles, now might be the time to reach out for professional help.
You Do You
At the end of the day, you know your body best. The above suggestions are based on what the current research is indicating, but some points might not resonate with you. That’s totally cool! I’m here to honour your individual biochemistry and accept that you’re in the driving seat of your condition.