How to lower insulin
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Effective Strategies to Lower Insulin Levels
Maintaining optimal insulin levels is crucial for managing weight, preventing diabetes, and reducing the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Various strategies, including dietary modifications, exercise, and medical interventions, have been studied to lower insulin levels effectively. This article synthesizes the latest research findings on how to achieve lower insulin levels.
Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Glycemic Index Diets
Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to significantly reduce insulin levels and improve metabolic health. A study integrating the Low-Insulin-Method into a multi-component healthcare program demonstrated that participants who followed a low-carbohydrate diet experienced significant reductions in fasting insulin levels, weight, and other metabolic parameters over 12, 26, and 52 weeks1.
Low-Glycemic Index Diets
A low-glycemic index (GI) diet, which focuses on consuming foods that cause a slower rise in blood glucose levels, has also been effective in reducing insulin secretion. In a study involving obese, prediabetic individuals, those who followed a low-GI diet combined with exercise showed a significant reduction in postprandial insulin levels compared to those on a high-GI diet2. This suggests that low-GI diets can help manage insulin levels more effectively than high-GI diets.
Exercise and Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is another critical component in lowering insulin levels. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, allowing the body to use insulin more efficiently. In the same study on low-GI diets, participants who engaged in regular exercise (1 hour per day, 5 days a week) showed significant improvements in insulin sensitivity and reductions in insulin resistance2.
Medical Interventions
Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII)
For individuals with type 2 diabetes, combining continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) with oral glucose-lowering drugs has been shown to improve insulin resistance and glycemic control. A network meta-analysis found that CSII combined with metformin was particularly effective in reducing fasting blood glucose and improving insulin resistance3.
Adjunct Glucose-Lowering Agents
In type 1 diabetes, adjunct glucose-lowering agents such as sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have shown promise. For instance, adding empagliflozin to multiple daily injections of insulin in obese patients with type 2 diabetes resulted in improved glycemic control, reduced insulin doses, and weight loss without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia8.
Insulin-Lowering Diets in Special Populations
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)
In women with gestational diabetes, a higher-complex carbohydrate and lower-fat diet was found to improve insulin resistance and reduce fasting glucose levels compared to a conventional low-carbohydrate, higher-fat diet9. This suggests that dietary composition can significantly impact insulin levels and metabolic health in pregnant women.
Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
In pediatric patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, a lower dose of insulin infusion (0.05 U/kg per hour) was found to be as effective as the standard dose (0.1 U/kg per hour) in reducing blood glucose levels and resolving acidosis, with a lower risk of hypokalemia and hypoglycemia10. This indicates that lower insulin doses may be safer and equally effective in managing DKA in children.
Conclusion
Lowering insulin levels can be achieved through a combination of dietary modifications, regular exercise, and medical interventions. Low-carbohydrate and low-glycemic index diets, combined with physical activity, have been shown to significantly reduce insulin levels and improve metabolic health. Medical interventions such as CSII and adjunct glucose-lowering agents also offer effective strategies for managing insulin levels in diabetic patients. Tailoring these approaches to individual needs and conditions can help achieve optimal insulin control and improve overall health outcomes.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic
Weight Reduction by the Low-Insulin-Method—A Randomized Controlled Trial
The Low-Insulin-Method in the SAMMAS occupational healthcare program effectively reduces weight and maintains weight loss in individuals with overweight or obesity.
RCT
Very Rigorous JournalA low-glycemic index diet combined with exercise reduces insulin resistance, postprandial hyperinsulinemia, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide responses in obese, prediabetic humans.
A low-glycemic index diet combined with exercise improves insulin resistance and reduces postprandial hyperinsulinemia in obese, prediabetic individuals, while a high-glycemic index diet impairs pancreatic cell and intestinal K cell function.
RCTVery Rigorous Journal
Highly CitedContinuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) Combined with Oral Glucose-Lowering Drugs in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials
Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion combined with metformin is the most effective treatment for controlling blood sugar and improving insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes patients.
Meta-AnalysisInsulin-Lowering Diets in Metastatic Cancer
Insulin-lowering diets, such as calorie restriction, low-carbohydrate, and intermittent fasting, show promise in improving insulin levels and metabolic parameters in metastatic cancer patients, but their anti-cancer efficacy remains inconclusive.
Systematic ReviewVery Rigorous JournalA randomised, 52-week, treat-to-target trial comparing insulin detemir with insulin glargine when administered as add-on to glucose-lowering drugs in insulin-naive people with type 2 diabetes
Supplementing oral glucose-lowering drugs with detemir or glargine improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients with low risk of hypoglycemia.
RCT
Large Human TrialVery Rigorous JournalHighly CitedTechnology to overcome clinical inertia in insulin therapy
The d-Nav Insulin Guidance System effectively improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients by providing frequent insulin dose adjustments based on blood glucose levels.
RCT
Rigorous JournalGlucose-Lowering Therapy beyond Insulin in Type 1 Diabetes: A Narrative Review on Existing Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials and Clinical Perspective
Adjunct glucose-lowering agents, intended for Type 2 diabetes, show potential in improving cardiovascular risk factors in people with Type 1 diabetes, warranting further investigation.
Systematic ReviewImproved Glucose Control With Weight Loss, Lower Insulin Doses, and No Increased Hypoglycemia With Empagliflozin Added to Titrated Multiple Daily Injections of Insulin in Obese Inadequately Controlled Type 2 Diabetes
Empagliflozin added to multiple daily injections of insulin improves glucose control, weight loss, and lowers insulin doses in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without increased hypoglycemia.
RCTLarge Human TrialVery Rigorous JournalHighly CitedWomen With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Randomized to a Higher–Complex Carbohydrate/Low-Fat Diet Manifest Lower Adipose Tissue Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, Glucose, and Free Fatty Acids: A Pilot Study
A higher-complex carbohydrate/lower-fat diet may improve maternal insulin resistance and infant adiposity in women with gestational diabetes mellitus, challenging the conventional low-carb/higher-fat diet.
RCTVery Rigorous JournalHighly CitedLow-dose vs standard-dose insulin in pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis: a randomized clinical trial.
Low-dose insulin is noninferior to standard dose in reducing blood glucose and resolving acidosis in children with diabetic ketoacidosis.
RCT