Glycemic variability - (also known as "GV") refers to blood glucose oscillations that occur throughout the day, including hypoglycemic periods and postprandial (after a meal) increases, as well as blood glucose fluctuations that appear at the same time on different days. According to the article I referred to above, "the broad definition of GV considers the intraday glycemic excursions, including episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia."

What Is Insulin Sensitivity?

Insulin sensitivity measures how well your cells respond to the message insulin sends. And insulin's primary function is to allow your body's cells to use glucose (sugar) for energy. 

When you eat a carbohydrate, which includes anything from broccoli to added sugars like candy, the food digests in your stomach and moves to your intestine, where the sugar portion passes into your bloodstream as glucose.

Your blood glucose rises in response to food, and your pancreas secretes insulin to allow cells to uptake the glucose as energy, decreasing blood sugar. 

If you're insulin sensitive, you need less of this hormone to reduce your blood sugar levels after eating. Insulin resistance occurs when your body needs more and more insulin to bring down blood sugar levels–if left unchecked long enough; this leads to type 2 diabetes, inflammation, and many other chronic illnesses.

Insulin Sensitivity + Insulin Resistance

Diabetes, and many other chronic illnesses, share root causes in metabolic dysfunction, driven primarily by insulin resistance and glucose tolerance. More than 1 in 3 U.S. adults have pre-diabetes, which means their cells are becoming insulin resistant. Two in five adults will go on to develop type 2 diabetes. 

Continuous overconsumption of carbohydrates creates a constant bombardment of insulin upon your cells. After an extended period, your body's cells become insulin resistant.

Think of this process as continually receiving constant spam phone calls. Eventually, you get frustrated and stop picking up the phone. Similarly, your cells become less and less likely to respond to the message insulin sends, and they become more insulin resistant.

Insulin resistance can occur over many years, but changes in insulin sensitivity can occur in the body in a short time as a few days, making your body's use of insulin necessary right now and not just years in the future. 

Benefits of Insulin Sensitivity

1. Easier fat loss

You may have become insulin resistant if you think you're eating healthy but still not losing weight. When insulin is high, you're more likely to store calories as fat instead of burning them for energy. When insulin resistant, you're more likely to have trouble losing or maintaining a healthy body weight.

4 Benefits of Insulin Sensitivity and How to Improve Yours

Being insulin resistant makes it harder to use body fat for fuel, and your metabolism will prioritize using carbohydrates, driving sugar cravings and further weight gain. 

2. Less risk of all disease

This seems like a lofty statement, but evidence supports its truth. Insulin resistance increases the risk of all chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, Alzheimer's disease, Type 2 diabetes, and much more. Healthy, balanced blood sugar and insulin sensitivity are essential for whole-body health.

3. Better brain health and cognition

Many people have accepted cognitive decline as a regular part of getting older. Still, insulin resistance plays a significant role in developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. Some researchers now refer to Alzheimer's as 'type 3 diabetes, further solidifying the connection between insulin resistance and brain health.

4. Fewer cravings and less hunger

When you're insulin resistant, you're likely to experience a "hanger" when your body quickly burns through its stored carbohydrates. If insulin resistant, you're less likely to use body fat for fuel, which can drive sugar cravings as the brain looks for its next easily accessible energy source.

Insulin resistance can also cause dozens of other problems ranging from acne breakouts to mood changes. While the above are a few significant benefits of being more insulin sensitive, almost every organ and tissue in the body benefits from better insulin sensitivity.

TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR INSULIN SENSITIVITY

 • Apple cider vinegar with cinnamon before meals. I mix it with sparkling water and stevia. Both act as glucose disposal agents in our bodies, meaning your blood sugar won't spike as high, which leads to feeling satiated faster. If you'd like an additional supplement, berberine and rock lotus extract with meals are great too.

• Cold therapy- 2 min cold shower, ice bath, or cryotherapy. It keeps your glucose levels stable for hours! Additionally, it increases brown adipose tissue, the most metabolic (burns the most calories) tissue in our bodies. Bonus- It also creates a more robust vagal tone. We want as much as we can get.

• Fasted morning walk (20 min) when possible. Also, a postprandial walk after dinner will help avoid large glucose spikes and helps with digestion.

• Consider implementing an intermittent fasting protocol 5-7 days a week (10-12 hours of no calories between dinner and breakfast to up-regulate "Autophagy" (the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells to regenerate newer, healthier cells, accordingly. "Auto" means self, and "phagy" means eat. So the literal meaning of autophagy is "self-eating." This protocol is excellent for aiding in the regeneration of your stomach lining and shifting your body into ketosis (using fat for fuel which is a cleaner source of energy for your brain and body). Avoid this step if you have disordered eating or untreated thyroid issues.

• Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. Sleep is a time for restoration and cleanup of all systems. The last thing your body wants to do is digest and assimilate foods while you sleep. Also, you are not burning much energy while asleep, so the foods you eat are more likely to be stored as fat.