English
Last updated on September 26th, 2022
Transformation of lifestyle is one of the ways to improve the functionality of your body organs including the pancreas. Exercises, stress reduction, weight loss, and detoxification are some of the lifestyle modifications that you can bring into your life. These help in stimulating the function of beta cells of the pancreas to increase the production of insulin. Read this blog to know ways to stimulate your pancreas to produce insulin hormones in your body.
In response to the rising blood sugar levels, the pancreas releases insulin. The blood sugar levels rise when the pancreas becomes insufficient to release insulin or does not release insulin at all. It results in diabetes. Diabetes does not develop alone. The development of diabetes also leads to several other health complications like heart problems, kidney issues, and diabetic ketoacidosis. Therefore, if you want to live a healthy life, you need to take care of your Pancreas health.
Proven Ways to Stimulate Your Pancreas to Produce Insulin Hormone
Several reasons cause the inefficiency of the pancreas in producing Insulin. One of the top causes is a poor lifestyle. Therefore, modify your lifestyle to stimulate your pancreas to produce insulin. Here is a list of some healthy lifestyle habits that let your pancreas produce more insulin naturally:
Exercise Regularly
Like the other organs of your body, the pancreas also needs a good blood supply to function properly. Exercising helps in improving blood circulation in your body. Exercising for at least thirty minutes a day helps in improving your overall health. It also helps in regulating blood sugar levels. Some forms of the best exercise to improve insulin resistance in your body and the production of insulin as well are:
- Squats
- Rowing repetition
- Sit-ups
- Walking
- Resistance training
- Aerobics
- Yoga
Also Read: How to Lower Your Blood Sugar?
These exercises improve the beta cell functions that are responsible for producing insulin in your body.
Also Read: How to Reverse Diabetes Permanently?
Reduce Stress
Stress can affect the ability of your body to regulate blood glucose levels. It stimulates the production of stress hormones like glucagon and cortisol. When your stress levels are high, these hormones break down the stored glycogen in your body into glucose. This glucose enters your bloodstream to increase your blood sugar levels. However, reducing stress makes your body release healthy hormones including insulin from Pancreas. Therefore, it helps in maintaining your blood sugar levels. 
Loose extra pounds of your weight
Being overweight can be the biggest hurdle for you to stimulate your pancreas to produce more insulin. Extra body fat particularly on the belly area can make your body insulin resistant. It results in higher blood sugar levels. When you lose extra body weight, the pancreas stimulates insulin production. It helps in managing the blood sugar levels in your body. 
Detox your body
The presence of toxins in your body can make you sick. It also affects the functioning of your body organs. Therefore, you need to get rid of the toxins from your body. Drinking green tea every day is the simplest way to detox your body. Detox diet and supplements also help you to detox your body. Additionally, it improves the functionality of the pancreas to release insulin. 
Also Read: Sugar Level In Normal Body
Foods That Boost Natural Insulin
Summary
Nature has blessed humans with some natural food items that promote better health. For diabetes patients, many food items are there which stimulate the pancreas for increasing insulin production. Both diabetics and non-diabetics can include such superfoods in their daily meals. It helps them to regulate their blood sugar levels and maintains the pancreas’ health.
Consuming certain dietary nutrients helps in increasing the production of insulin in your body. If you want to boost the insulin production in your body, you should start including the following foods that increase insulin levels in the body:
- Bitter gourd or Karela: It is a vegetable that is a boon for diabetes patients. It can boost the production of natural insulin in your body. Bitter gourd contains charantin, vicine, and a polypeptide-p. These substances are responsible for increasing insulin production. Diabetes patients should drink 1 cup of bitter gourd juice mixed with 1 tbsp of gooseberry juice to promote natural insulin secretion. Thus, it helps in managing their blood glucose levels.
- Lady’s finger or Okra: Lady’s finger or okra is a super vegetable packed with dietary fiber. Seeds of this veggie contain alpha-glucosidase inhibitors that are responsible for preventing the conversion of starch into glucose. Hence, it helps stabilize the natural blood sugar levels. It also aids in the production of natural insulin in your body to regulate blood sugar levels.
- Red cabbage: Red cabbage is a boon for diabetes patients. The red-colored pigments in red cabbage are betalains. It helps in increasing insulin production in the body to lower blood sugar levels.
- Turmeric: Turmeric is a spice packed with so many health benefits. Curcumin is the compound present in Turmeric. It is responsible for working directly on the pancreatic beta cells to activate pancreas naturally for insulin production.
- Fenugreek seeds: It is one of the superfoods for diabetes patients. Fenugreek seeds contain trigonelline, a kind of plant alkaloid. It promotes insulin production to improve insulin sensitivity in diabetes patients.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a spice that is a bark that improves cell sensitivity to insulin. It also works as the natural insulin that the pancreas secretes in the body. You can drink cinnamon water or sprinkle the powder on your meals and tea. You can also try a cinnamon supplement to include cinnamon in your daily meals.
- Insulin plant: Insulin plant helps boost the natural insulin production in your body by activating the beta cells of the pancreas. The corosolic acid present in the leaves of this plant induces insulin production to prevent high blood sugar levels. You can chew one or two leaves of this plant every day in the morning to control diabetes.
Focus on What You are Eating to Stimulate Pancreas
Summary
Knowing about foods that are good for a diabetic patient and deliberately making a choice to consume those foods are two different aspects. Thus, it is important to not just be aware of what is good and what is not for you. Diabetic patients must ensure to include the required foods in their diet. Also, certain food categories must be avoided by diabetic patients.
Nutrients are essential for maintaining a healthy level of blood sugar in your body. If your body is insulin resistant, you need to focus on your meals. You need to try to include foods that contain plenty of nutrients for keeping you healthy. Instead of eating only superfoods, you should look at the meals that you are eating. Some foods that improve your insulin sensitivity and prevent the risk of developing diabetes are:
- Non-starchy vegetables: Starchy vegetables contain a high amount of carbohydrates. Therefore, they are responsible for increasing your blood sugar levels. Avoid such vegetables and include non-starchy vegetables. Examples of non-starchy vegetables are carrot, beetroot, cabbage, broccoli, pepper, and leafy vegetables.
- Whole-grains: Whole grains are the healthy alternative to refined or processed grain. Whole grains contain more nutrients and fiber that help nourish your body. Some whole grains that sugar patients should include in their meals are brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, barley, and cornmeal.
- High-fiber foods: They contain a high amount of fiber which reduces the rate of absorption of glucose in your body. Therefore, it prevents high blood sugar levels. High fiber foods also help in digesting the food better so that insulin resistance gets minimum.
- Protein-rich foods: Protein is an essential nutrient that supports building muscles. Protein-rich foods help to improve the insulin sensitivity of the body and make a person feel fuller for a long time. Hence, it reduces food cravings and the intake of carbohydrates. Protein-rich foods include lean meat, fish, lentils, beans, and nuts.
Apart from focussing on what you are eating, you should drink plenty of water. Keeping your body well hydrated helps in removing excess glucose from your blood. Thus, insulin sensitivity gets better. In addition to this, you need to focus on your portion as well. Portion control limits the excessive intake of carbohydrates and calories. Hence, your body can absorb the glucose in your blood at a slow pace and do not cause blood sugar spikes.
Also Read: Does Junk Food Cause Diabetes?
Drugs that Increase Insulin Production
Summary
Everyone has a different body that responds differently to lifestyle changes. Many people with diabetes type-1 and type-2 face trouble managing blood glucose levels with diet changes and exercise. Therefore, they should contact their doctor to prescribe medicines that stimulate insulin production in the body. In this way, the pancreas releases more insulin to manage diabetes.
Many diabetes patients do not get much benefit from lifestyle changes and diet control alone. They need medication to stimulate the pancreas to increase the production of insulin. Various classes of medicines are helpful in insulin production in people with diabetes type-2. Some drugs that increase insulin production in your body are:
- Incretin mimetics: It is a class of injectable drugs that helps in increasing insulin production. These are the prescription medicines that help manage blood glucose levels in combination with some other drugs. Diabetes patients taking these drugs should exercise more and eat healthy meals. Exenatide immediate-release (Byetta), exenatide extended-release (Bydureon), and liraglutide (Victoza) are some Incretin mimetics.
- Amylin mimetics: These are the injectable drugs that stimulate the release of insulin in your body. Diabetes patients have to take Amylin mimetics drugs along with injectable insulin. When the symptoms of diabetes type-1 do not get better along with the insulin injection, then amylin mimetics drugs are prescribed. Pramlintide (SymlinPen) is an example of this type of drug.
- Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4s): It is a class of drugs that increases the secretion of Insulin from the Pancreas. The drugs that belong to this class also helps in reducing the release of glucose from the liver. Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors are used as the combination drugs for diabetes type-2 patients. Examples of DPP-4s drugs are saxagliptin (Onglyza), sitagliptin (Januvia), and linagliptin (Tradjenta).
Also Read: Insulin to Carb Ratios: How to Calculate Insulin Doses
Conclusion
The pancreas is the endocrine gland that is responsible for secreting pancreatic juices and Insulin, a hormone. It plays a crucial role in the process of digestion. When the pancreas becomes insufficient to perform its function of releasing Insulin hormone, the blood sugar level rises. High blood sugar levels can affect the life of a person causing several health complications. Therefore, it is essential to stimulate the pancreas to increase the production of Insulin. Several natural ways are there that help the pancreas to increase the production of insulin.
Also Read: Janumet 50 mg / 500 mg Tablet to Control High Blood Sugar Levels
FAQs:
Are diabetic kidneys treatable?
Kidney damage due to diabetes is not curable; however, you can slow down kidney damage. Medications and lifestyle changes help prevent or delay kidney damage in people with diabetes. Lack of proper treatment and negligence may worsen the kidney damage over time. People with diabetes suffer from kidney damage when prolonged high sugar levels.
Can insulin therapy reverse diabetes?
Diabetes is irreversible. Insulin therapy is helpful for diabetes type-1 to regulate blood sugar levels as they do not produce natural insulin hormones. Diabetes type-2 patients may also need insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels in case of sudden blood sugar spikes. Diabetes type-2 patients, however, can manage their blood sugar levels through diet control and lifestyle management.
When should you take insulin injections?
Doctors prescribe insulin injections as the initial therapy for diabetes if the person’s HbA1C level is more than 10. People with diabetes type-1 also need to take insulin injections to regulate blood sugar levels in their bodies. The bodies of diabetes type-1 patients do not make insulin. Therefore, they have to rely on insulin therapy.
Is banana a healthy snack option for people with diabetes?
Yes, a banana is a healthy snack option for people with diabetes and others. Banana is a rich source of fiber. It is best for the pancreas due to its anti-inflammatory properties. It is easy to digest and promotes better gut health. They should eat a banana in moderation as a part of their balanced diet to avoid spikes in blood sugar levels.
How can I improve the function of the Pancreas?
Foods that are rich in protein and antioxidants help to keep your pancreas healthy. Dairy alternatives like almond milk and flax milk, lean meat, lentils, and beans also help to improve the function of the pancreas. The healthy pancreas helps in stimulating the production of Insulin for better regulation of blood sugar.
What is the function of the pancreas in your body?
The pancreas is an organ in your body that plays a crucial role in the process of digestion. During digestion, Pancreas secretes pancreatic juices called enzymes. They are responsible for breaking down fats and sugar from the food into energy to make your bodywork. Along with enzymes, the pancreas also produces Insulin, a hormone, in the body. It helps in regulating blood sugar in your body.
References:
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316569#foods-to-eat
- https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/drugs-increase-insulinproduction#medications
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/improve-insulin-sensitivity#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/produce-insulin-naturally/articleshow/60794768.cms
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323529
Last Updated on by Dr. Damanjit Duggal
Disclaimer
This site provides educational content; however, it is not a substitute for professional medical guidance. Readers should consult their healthcare professional for personalised guidance. We work hard to provide accurate and helpful information. Your well-being is important to us, and we value your feedback. To learn more, visit our editorial policy page for details on our content guidelines and the content creation process.
