A relation of how well Insulin in the body is able to affect cells by inducing insulin-like effects. Insulin resistance is poor efficacy in affecting cells, and insulin sensitivity is good efficacy. Chronic Insulin resistance is one of the pathological signs of type II diabetes
Insulin Sensitivity is a function of how well your body can handle glucose (blood sugar) through insulin secretion. Insulin is secreted from an organ called the pancreas in response to elevating blood sugar, and the less insulin that is needed to get the job done is how sensitive you are to insulin.
For a somewhat full review of insulin sensitivity, please refer to our FAQ page on increasing insulin sensitivity.
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In general, being more insulin sensitive is better. If you had to blindly choose between being insulin sensitive or resistant, sensitive is probably the way to go.
Keep in mind that there are times where insulin resistance is good. The third trimester of pregnancy is one where insulin resistance is good as by hindering the ability of the mother to get glucose the baby gets more (up until a point, gestational diabetes is not that good) and fat loss diets and supplements tend to induce transient states of insulin resistance; the latter is not wholly bad because you should be having less food anyways and thus there really isn't any drastic spike in blood glucose to be resistant to on a fat loss diet (if you are doing it right).
Kurtis Frank
The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (excluding animal/petri-dish studies) to tell you what what supplements affect Insulin Sensitivity
| Grade | Level of Evidence |
|---|---|
| A | Robust research conducted with repeated double blind clinical trials |
| B | Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled |
| C | Single double blind study or multiple cohort studies |
| D | Uncontrolled or observational studies only |
| Level of Evidence | Supplement | Change | Magnitude of Effect Size | Scientific Consensus | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Fish Oil | No significant influence on insulin sensitivity seems to be the consensus, although there are isolated reports of both an increase and decrease (in response to a glucose... show | |||
| A | Conjugated Linoleic Acid | For the most part, ineffective; too unreliable to reach any conclusions in regards to the efficacy of CLA. There appears to be some manner of interaction, but both sensitization... show | |||
| B | Green Tea Catechins |   Minor | Mixed effects on insulin sensitivity, possible improvements seen in unhealthy persons | ||
| B | L-Carnitine | Minor | An increase in insulin sensitivity appears to exist with carnitine supplementation, and at least once has been noted in otherwise healthy lean males. This may be secondary... show | ||
| B | Panax Ginseng | More evidence than not suggests no significant improvement in insulin sensitivity, although it is still a minor possibility | |||
| B | Nicotine | Long term insulin sensitivity does not appear to be highly affected, but acutely nicotine exposure can reduce insulin sensitivity | |||
| B | Caffeine | Minor | A decrease in insulin sensitivity is noted acutely when caffeine is taken alongside carbohydrates, thought to be secondary to reducing glucose deposition. | ||
| B | Magnesium | Minor | There appears to be increases in insulin sensitivity as assessed by HOMA-IR, which is thought to be secondary to aiding pancreatic function | ||
| C | Vitamin D | Minor | Improvements in insulin sensitivity can occur secondary to increasing pancreatic insulin secretion | ||
| C | Fenugreek | Minor | 100% See study | An increase in insulin sensitivity has been noted with fenugreek ingestion | |
| C | Alpha-Lipoic Acid | 100% See study | No significant influence on insulin sensitivity has been noted | ||
| C | Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid | Notable | 100% See study | Notable due to reaching near 30% improvement in obese persons and only being localized to muscle tissue and the liver, but not adipose tissue | |
| C | Vitamin C | 100% See study | No significant influence on insulin sensitivity | ||
| C | Punicic Acid | 100% See study | No significant alterations in insulin sensitivity noted | ||
| C | Whey Protein | Minor | Has been noted to increase insulin sensitivity to a larger degree than casein when consumed by obese persons in a part of a fat loss diet; has not yet demonstrated an insulin... show | ||
| C | Spirulina | Minor | 100% See study | Requires more evidence to establish its potency | |
| C | Vanadium | Although an insulin sensitizing effect cannot be fully ruled out at this point in time, the more robust evidence currently does not support this insulin sensitizing effect... show | |||
| C | Licorice | 100% See study | No significant changes in insulin sensitivity following licorice ingestion | ||
| C | Nitrate | 100% See study | No significant observed effects on insulin sensitivity. | ||
| C | Berberine | 100% See study | Currently no evidence to support efficacy, although it may increase insulin sensitivity (requires more research) | ||
| C | Bladderwrack | Minor | 100% See study | Appears to be pretty effective at increasing insulin sensitivity acutely after a meal, which may be due to reduced insulin in serum. | |
| C | Olive leaf extract | Minor | 100% See study | An increase in insulin sensitivity has been noted in otherwise healthy persons (Matsuda Index and oral glucose tolerance test) and thought secondary to the pancreas; may... show | |
| C | Resveratrol | Minor | There appears to be an increase in insulin sensitivity seen with resveratrol at doses low enough to be achieved via wine consumption, all tests currently in obese and unhealthy... show | ||
| C | Stinging Nettle | 100% See study | No significant interactions between insulin sensitivity and stinging nettle yet detected | ||
| C | Dehydroepiandrosterone | No significant influences on insulin sensitivity seem apparent with DHEA supplementation | |||
| C | Grapefruit | Minor | 100% See study | Improvement in insulin sensitivity may be secondary to weight loss | |
| C | Gynostemma Pentaphyllum | Notable | 100% See 2 studies | An improvement in insulin sensitivity is noted in diabetics which is fairly notable; no studies in otherwise healthy persons at this time | |
| C | Japanese Knotweed | 100% See study | Insulin sensitivity is unaffected in otherwise healthy lean persons given this supplement | ||
| C | Melatonin | Minor | 100% See study | An increase in insulin sensitivity has been noted to be secondary to reducing liver fat; an inherent influence on insulin sensitivity is uncertain | |
| C | Royal Jelly | 100% See study | Despite a slight reduction in blood glucose, no significant influence on insulin sensitivity noted | ||
| C | Sodium Bicarbonate | Minor | Mixed effects on insulin sensitivity in persons who may be suffering form metabolic acidosis, with one positive and one null result | ||
| C | Arginine | Minor | 100% See study | An increase in insulin sensitivity has been noted in persons with impaired glucose tolerance using arginine for long periods of time; this is thought to be secondary to... show | |
| D | Coffee | 100% See study | No significant influences on insulin sensitivity with caffeinated coffee | ||
| D | Coconut Oil | Minor | 100% See study | May improve insulin sensitivity in diabetics, requires more evidence though as the one study was confounded with fat loss. | |
| D | Safflower Oil | 100% See study | No significant influence on insulin sensitivity in diabetics |
(Common phrases used by users for this page include silverhydra insulin sensitivity, nettle "insulin sensitivity", examine.com insulin sensitivity, cache:gTqRXSA0gW0J:examine.com/faq/how-do-i-increase-insulin-sensitivity.html lose fat improve insulin)
(Users who contributed to this page include KurtisFrank, Sol, Efrum)
