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Insulin resistance

briony1 said:
What is the best way to improve insulin sensitivity/reduce resistance in Type 1s?
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I know with exercise I need less insulin, so that would be my starting place.
BMI in range if not in range.. we all know BMI can vary with build etc... but at least on top range I think would be a good start place.
 
briony1 said:
What is the best way to improve insulin sensitivity/reduce resistance in Type 1s?
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Ideas to try: Exercise - you will see the effects straight away as you will need less insulin, lose belly fat (if this is an issue), get more sleep, reduce stress, try intermittent fasting, and reduce your carbohydrate intake.
 
@briony1 do you know that you have insulin resistance or are you comparing your insulin dose with someone else?
As has been said many times, the right amount of insulin is the amount that your body needs.

The other thing to bear in mind is that we all experience insulin resistance in high numbers so reducing your numbers will reduce your insulin needs.
 
briony1 said:
What is the best way to improve insulin sensitivity/reduce resistance in Type 1s?
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To be brief, studies show lots of things do. As well as what others have already suggested, a lot of "healthy habits", which would be good for anyone, frequently have a positive impact on Insulin Sensitivity. The most unusual instance of this (that works for me) is a strict 10g of 70% (or higher) Cocoa Dark Chocolate (5 out of every 7 days) has increased my sensitivity since I began doing it by just under 5%.

Sticking to a minimum of 30mins moderate physical activity*, a minimum of 5 out of 7 days is a good one to. As you'll find insulin sensitivity declines intensely if you don't (which I did for a while during lockdown).

*Moderate defined as an exercise that both noticeably raises heart rate and changes typical breathing patterns
 
I get really bad insulin resistance if I have any foods which are high in fat, such as pies, sauceage rolls, pizza, takeaway and especially cake.

My bg will be anywhere between 15 - 30 mmol and this is despite needing a lot more QA insulin.

I suppose different people metabolise their food differently I have a small cake after my evening meal and eat one chocolate chip cookie mid morning and mid afternoon so I have some treats which don't interfere with my bg so I don't feel restricted in any way.
 
Hi @briony1 Curious to ask in what context are you referring to with this question ? So is this a regular occurrence at any particular time of day ? and are you sure it's insulin resistance ?
 
Could you give us some more information @briony1? There are lots of things that affect the speed at which carbohydrates are processed by the digestive system, and then there are things that affect the hormones required for digestion. If you could outline the way the resistance is evident then we might be able to respond more helpfully, though we really can’t tell you what to do as we’re all different.
 
Hi all! Thanks for your responses - there is no pattern to it - I seem to having to inject even when I’m not eating carbs! I’m exercising more and that’s causing my levels to rise. I don’t really know what’s going on but it’s causing me to gain weight quite quickly. I’m not huge by any means but I’m about a stone heavier since I’ve been experiencing the resistance. I used to think it was just hormonal but now it’s happening all month round! Hope that’s more insightful?
 
briony1 said:
Hi all! Thanks for your responses - there is no pattern to it - I seem to having to inject even when I’m not eating carbs! I’m exercising more and that’s causing my levels to rise. I don’t really know what’s going on but it’s causing me to gain weight quite quickly. I’m not huge by any means but I’m about a stone heavier since I’ve been experiencing the resistance. I used to think it was just hormonal but now it’s happening all month round! Hope that’s more insightful?
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If your blood sugar's rising in the absence of Carbs that points to an issue with your Basal insulin specifically. If your Basal's at a lower level than you require, this will also affect your Bolus doses. So it would be worthwhile doing some Basal Testing to check that possibility out.
 
Hi @briony1 You don’t need to answer this, but is there any chance you could be pregnant? I’m only asking because you say you’re heavier as well as needing more insulin.
 
briony1 said:
Hi all! Thanks for your responses - there is no pattern to it - I seem to having to inject even when I’m not eating carbs! I’m exercising more and that’s causing my levels to rise. I don’t really know what’s going on but it’s causing me to gain weight quite quickly. I’m not huge by any means but I’m about a stone heavier since I’ve been experiencing the resistance. I used to think it was just hormonal but now it’s happening all month round! Hope that’s more insightful?
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I have to inject when I'm not eating carbs, it's more common than you think. Some people can take enough basal insulin to not have to but I can't take any more without causing hypos. My blood sugars rise when exercising (even non-diabetics do) so I drink coffee and cream and take a small correction dose for this. I struggled with weight gain when I started insulin. I went from BMI 19 to 24 within a couple of months. I have to use myfitesspal food diary and work hard to lose it - something that I never had to before. Even though I have similar issues, I'd still call myself very insulin sensitive due to taking about 15 units a day on an LCHF diet. But if I ate high carbohydrate meals, and completed less exercise, I would have to take a lot more insulin units.
 
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Hi @briony1 - What type of exercise are you doing ? I am currently using a gym and am finding that weights are causing my levels to drop but if I go running and do a sprint then my levels will rise, different exercises causes different responses.

As Stew has said the best place to start is by doing some basal fasting tests so going back to basics and checking your background dose is right, you'll need to try it a couple of times to distinguish a pattern to act upon tho, once you've done this you can then establish if this is insulin resistance. Remember that our needs change all the time too and particularly if you have gained weight so it's not unusual to have to review and make adjustments, do you know how to do a basal fasting test ?
 
Low carbs, always

Sugar/carbs get converted by insulin to fat, particularly around the liver. When your body doesn't want anymore it starts to resist -hence insulin resistence, hence fatty liver. When you cut carbs, you cut insulin, you cut fat, and you cut resistence
 
Medina27 said:
Low carbs, always

Sugar/carbs get converted by insulin to fat, particularly around the liver. When your body doesn't want anymore it starts to resist -hence insulin resistence, hence fatty liver. When you cut carbs, you cut insulin, you cut fat, and you cut resistence
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Just to point out I am not totally low carb and have absolutely no fat on my liver as was evident on a recent scan. I don’t have insulin resistance either, but it shows that you don’t have to be low carb to have a fat free liver. For those of us who wish to be a bit more relaxed about what we eat it is not all doom and gloom. My HBA1C was 44 and I have not had a hypo in a month.
 
becca59 said:
Just to point out I am not totally low carb and have absolutely no fat on my liver as was evident on a recent scan. I don’t have insulin resistance either, but it shows that you don’t have to be low carb to have a fat free liver. For those of us who wish to be a bit more relaxed about what we eat it is not all doom and gloom. My HBA1C was 44 and I have not had a hypo in a month.
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Yeah I don’t follow low carb consistently (I sometimes Low Carb accidentally). I guess my carb intake would be considered moderate, as it’s still below average. The absolute highest my HBA1C hits is 42. I’m above DAFNE estimates on typical Insulin sensitivity (which can actually be an issue in some ways). Hypos are infrequent to rare.

My diet’s composition is low calorie (maybe too low I’m considering upping it), low fat (may have to up it, as per my previous point), high protein, moderate carb. I also do intermittent fasting, only consuming non-water for 9 hours a day (I tried to get it down to eight but it was too much hassle).
 
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