Ingredients And How They Work

Here’s the thing: The FDA doesn’t approve dietary supplements or set categories within them, so it’s unclear what it even means to be an insulin resistance supplement. But brands are creating all sorts of supps within the category—Apothekary sells Sugar Kick drops, Nourished has PCOS Blood Sugar Balance supps, and Walmart has an entire online selection.

So, are insulin resistance supplements legit—and safe—for lowering your blood sugar and losing weight? And what’s even in them? Ahead, experts break down how these supps work, and whether you should take them.

How do insulin resistance supplements work?

In theory, an insulin resistance supplement would help support insulin sensitivity. “Insulin sensitivity can be looked at as the amount of insulin required to push sugar/carbs into cells to make energy,” explains endocrinologist Rekha Kumar, MD. “More sensitivity means it requires less insulin, and insulin resistance means it takes more insulin to turn carbs to energy.” This balance is vital for keeping healthy blood sugar levels.

As a result, these supplements are designed to help combat a range of health issues. “Poor insulin sensitivity—insulin resistance—can lead to high blood sugar and lipids, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver disease,” says Christoph Buettner, MD, PhD, chief of the division of endocrinology at Rutgers University.

Insulin resistance supplements are a pretty broad category, so they all work in different ways. Most of them have a range of ingredients that don’t tend to overlap, although there are a few that show up repeatedly:

Bitter Melon

A few small studies suggest that the fruit extract bitter melon may help with lowering blood sugar levels. One randomized controlled trial of 90 people with type 2 diabetes found that levels of HbA1c (which measures average blood sugar levels over two to three months) didn’t change between the bitter melon and placebo groups after 12 weeks, per 2020 research in Complementary Therapies in Medicine. However, the average fasting glucose level of people in the bitter melon group went down during the trial.

Another small trial on 76 people with prediabetes also found that bitter melon helped to lower glucose levels by suppressing levels of glucagon, a hormone that stimulates the liver to release stores of glucose, according to 2022 research in Food Science and Biotechnology.

White Mulberry

Leaves from this tree are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes, according to the NIH. There’s some research that suggests white mulberry may lower blood glucose levels, according to a 2020 study in Complementary Therapies in Medicine. However, most of this research is preliminary and not conducted on humans, per the NIH, so it’s hard to draw a definitive conclusion from them.

Ready for results? Sign up for WH+ today for exclusive meal and strength training plans only available to subscribers.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon or cinnamon bark pops up in a few supplements, too, and there is some (also limited) research to back this up. One 2023 meta-analysis in Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome of existing research concluded that cinnamon could be an “add-on treatment” to control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Another four-week randomized controlled trial of 18 people with prediabetes and obesity found that blood sugar levels were “significantly lower” when people had cinnamon beforehand, according to 2024 research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers concluded that cinnamon may improve blood glucose control for those with obesity-related prediabetes.

But none of the research on these ingredients is robust, making it tough to say for sure that the supplements do what they claim.

So, can insulin resistance supps actually improve your blood sugar and help you lose weight?

Those are some pretty hefty promises, and experts are wary of them, especially because they haven’t been evaluated by the FDA. “There are no good studies or scientific evidence to show they make any dramatic difference,” in your blood sugar and weight, says Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center.

Plus, insulin sensitivity is a complicated process, and taking a supplement alone is unlikely to make a huge difference in your blood sugar and weight, adds integrative and functional medicine dietitian Lindsay Malone, RD.

The sure-fire way to improve your blood sugar and maintain your weight? Lifestyle changes: “No supplement will work unless you do,” Malone says. “Switching to a low-glycemic diet, eating whole, minimally processed foods, moving your body throughout the day, and getting adequate sleep will address and fix the root cause of insulin resistance.” Reducing simple carbs like baked goods, soda, and cereal, for instance, can also help to keep your blood sugar levels stable, since your body breaks them down into glucose which could cause blood sugar spikes, Kumar says.

Which supplements are best for insulin resistance?

Experts aren’t really on board with taking these new, buzzy, multi-ingredient supplements that claim to help with insulin resistance. However, a few vitamin and mineral supplements do have some inherent benefits for insulin resistance and even weight loss, especially in people with endocrine or hormonal disorders like PCOS.

Still, experts stress that these supplements are not magic pills. “Supplements alone are not a cure and often they do not do much,” Buettner says. But, again, with lifestyle changes like a healthy diet and regular movement, they may help support your efforts.

Here’s how they work, according to Malone:

• Carnitine. Commonly sold as l-carnitine, this amino acid helps your body use fat for energy, which can support weight loss efforts and may improve insulin sensitivity, according to Malone. In a 2020 meta-analysis in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN of 37 randomized controlled clinical trials, l-carnitine supplementation significantly decreased body weight, but there were no major effects on waist circumference or body fat percentage.
• Omega-3. These healthy fats can reduce inflammation and “may also improve insulin sensitivity and assist with fat loss, especially belly fat,” Malone says. One small 2022 study in Nutrición Hospitalaria found that omega-3 supplements “augmented” belly fat loss in overweight or obese people who were also on a weight loss diet, but more research is needed to determine whether omega-3 supplementation is effective for weight loss.
• Vitamin D. “Low vitamin D levels are linked to insulin resistance, so supplementing with vitamin D can help improve sensitivity and potentially support weight loss,” Malone says. There’s a link between taking vitamin D and weight loss, as part of a larger treatment plan like a changed diet, per a 2018 study in Clinical Endocrinology and 2021 study in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association.

THORNE Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Now 10% Off

NOW Omega-3

Now 39% Off

Nature Made Vitamin D3

Now 49% Off

If you’re concerned about insulin resistance, it’s best to talk to a healthcare provider. (And if you have severe insulin resistance, like you’re prediabetic or you have type 2 diabetes, Kumar says you may benefit from prescription medication like metformin or a GLP-1 receptor agonist like Ozempic.)

Your doc can do an evaluation to see where things stand with your blood sugar levels, including testing to see if you have prediabetes or diabetes. From there, you can come up with a care plan together. So, while the idea of taking an insulin resistance supplement and hoping things will turn around is easy and appealing, it’s always best to rope in a medical professional for extra help.

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.