Did you know that you may have started developing insulin resistance without having high blood sugar? The body can compensate for quite some time before it shows up in tests. So what can you do before your blood sugar starts to rise? Here we go through three things that are well supported by research—including a simple trick you can try the next time you eat.
Insulin works roughly like a key that helps glucose in the blood enter the cells, where it can be used as energy. But with insulin resistance, the cells start responding less effectively to the signal; in other words, they no longer perceive it as strongly. At first, the pancreas solves the problem by releasing more insulin, which means that blood sugar can still look completely normal in tests.
Over time, however, the pancreas may find it harder to compensate, and blood sugar starts to rise. Insulin resistance may then have become so pronounced that it increases the risk of conditions including prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
If you want to give your body the best possible conditions for staying healthy and strong, it is therefore a good idea to think about insulin sensitivity long before your blood sugar test starts sending warning signals.
Here are three simple habits that may help.
1. Eat the carbohydrates last
What you eat matters, but the order in which you eat your food can also affect how much insulin is needed after a meal.
Studies in which participants were given exactly the same food in different orders have shown that the rise in blood sugar and insulin can be lower when vegetables and protein are eaten first and the carbohydrate-rich parts last.
One explanation for this is that protein, fat, and fibre make food leave the stomach more slowly, so the glucose from the carbohydrates is absorbed more gradually. Protein and fat also affect hormones from the gut, which help regulate insulin release, among other things.
You obviously do not need to eat dinner in separate courses. But if your plate contains vegetables, fish, and potatoes, you can try starting with the vegetables and fish and leaving most of the potatoes until a little later.
2. How strong muscles and well-timed movement can help
When carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, the glucose needs to leave the bloodstream and enter the cells so it can be used or stored. Insulin helps with this, but with insulin resistance, the cells respond less effectively, so the body needs to release more insulin.
This is where the muscles come in. They are one of the body’s largest recipients of glucose, which is important because too much glucose in the blood over a longer period can damage blood vessels and nerves, among other things. So the more muscle you have, the more space there is to use and store glucose.
Muscles also have another important function when it comes to insulin resistance. When you use them, they can increase their glucose uptake through processes that work partly without insulin. In other words, they can help remove glucose from the bloodstream even when insulin’s signal is working less effectively.
Going for a walk after a meal is also a pleasant and valuable habit to try. The muscles start working right away and use some of the glucose as fuel, which helps dampen the rise in blood sugar after eating. Studies show that the effect is greatest when you move relatively soon after eating.
3. Give insulin a rested body to work with
Insulin sensitivity is also affected while you sleep. Controlled studies show that too little sleep can make cells less sensitive to insulin after a relatively short time.
Long-term stress can also affect the system. Stress hormones such as cortisol help the body make more glucose available in the bloodstream because the body believes it needs more energy to, for example, run or defend itself. This is of course a smart response when you actually need it, but a less favourable combination if the stress response remains constantly elevated and the body does not have time to get rid of the glucose because you are not “running it off”.
Sleep and recovery are therefore part of the work of supporting insulin sensitivity.
Supplements that can support blood sugar balance
For those who want help from supplements or health foods, there are a few options to choose from:
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Psyllium seeds form a viscous gel in the intestines, which causes carbohydrates to be absorbed more slowly. This helps flatten the glucose curve after a meal.
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Holistic Blood Sugar Balance contains Reducose® from mulberry leaves, which causes carbohydrates to be broken down into glucose more slowly. It also contains chromium, which contributes to normal blood sugar levels.
