Sugar, in the form of glucose, is your body’s primary fuel source. However, having high glucose levels in your blood is damaging to your organs and nerves. To solve this problem, your body produces a hormone called insulin to help keep blood glucose levels within a normal range. Unfortunately, it’s possible to produce too much of this necessary hormone, which increases your risk for chronic diseases.
Blood Glucose Regulation
Blood sugar control is a carefully-orchestrated process involving your pancreas and liver. Your body breaks down food that contains carbohydrates into glucose, which your cells need for energy. The glucose can’t get into cells on its own, so your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to signal your cells to let glucose in.
Any extra glucose that your cells can’t use right away is sent to the liver where it’s converted to a storage form of glucose called glycogen. The liver converts glycogen back to glucose and releases into the blood stream when glucose levels decline between meals. These actions keep blood sugar levels within normal range.
Producing Too Much Insulin
Excess insulin production occurs when your cells become insensitive to insulin. Think of it this way: insulin knocks on the door of your cells to tell them to let glucose in, but the cells don’t answer the door in a timely manner. The pancreas releases more insulin in an effort to get glucose into cells and out of the bloodstream, where too much sugar floating around can damage nerves. A vicious cycle ensues where the pancreas produces more insulin to keep blood sugar balanced. After a while the pancreas can have trouble keeping up with the extra insulin production. Then blood sugar levels rise, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Weight Loss Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Scientists aren’t sure exactly why the cells become less sensitive to insulin. However, being overweight is a major risk factor. Getting your weight down should be your primary focus if you're overweight or obese. Losing weight will not only increase insulin sensitivity, it will lower your risk for other chronic conditions, like high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.
You don't need to lose a ton of weight to improve glucose balance. Losing just 5 percent of your body weight, if you're obese, significantly improves insulin sensitivity in fat cells, muscle and the liver, reported a study published in Cell Metabolism in February 2016. That’s just 9 pounds if you weigh 180 pounds.
Exercise Lowers Insulin
Exercise can help lower insulin, too. When your muscles engage in regular physical activity, your cells become more sensitive to insulin. You'll be much more likely to stick to an exercise plan if you find physical activities that you enjoy. Whether it’s swimming or rollerblading, what matters is that you get moving.
Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week for a total of 150 minutes. You'll gain even more benefits from getting 60 minutes of exercise five days a week, once you build up your stamina. You may need to start with 15 to 20 minutes a day, if you haven't exercised in a while. You'll find it easier to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes each session as you get stronger.
Don't Drink Sugar
From a dietary perspective, regularly drinking sugary beverages is strongly linked to an increased risk of insulin resistance, according to a study published in July 2014 in The Journal of Nutrition. If you have a habit of sipping on the sweet stuff, replace those beverages with healthier drinks like herbal tea or plain water.