5 Best PCOS Insulin Resistance Supplements

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition that affects millions of reproductive-age women. Since it’s hormonal, it unfortunately comes with various symptoms! One of the most common of those symptoms is insulin resistance. This is when your body doesn’t correctly process glucose, so instead of converting sugar to energy, it’s stored as fat and absorbed into the bloodstream. This leads to high blood sugar levels, intense fatigue, stubborn weight gain, and more. Plus, it can worsen your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

So, what can you do about it? There’s no quick surgery or procedure, but you can naturally heal your insulin resistance and relieve your symptoms! Intentional lifestyle changes like getting on a PCOS-friendly diet, doing slow-weighted exercises, reducing your stress levels, and taking the right vitamins and supplements can all have a profound impact on your metabolism and insulin sensitivity. 

You can download The Cysterhood app for all of my PCOS-friendly workouts and meal plans, but today I’m focusing on supplements! I’ll help you decide what supplements can best work along your current PCOS routine and lifestyle changes for your insulin sensitivity to help you reach all your PCOS health and weight loss goals. 

Here are the best supplements to improve PCOS insulin resistance: 

5 Best PCOS Insulin Resistance Supplements

Inositol

My absolute favorite and most recommended supplement for insulin resistance is inositol. Our bodies naturally produce inositol, but studies have shown that Cysters lack the proper ratios of myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol. Supplementing this deficiency can help improve blood sugar levels, lower lipid levels, and regulate insulin signaling to improve insulin sensitivity! But this powerful supplement is for more than reverse insulin resistance; it’s also great for lowering testosterone and balancing other hormones to improve fertility, regulate periods, and even put you in a better mood! 

It’s true that inositol can help with nearly all your PCOS symptoms! I recommend having Ovasitol, my personal favorite, 2 times a day and mixing it in 8 oz. of water (make sure to have it with meals to avoid your blood sugar dropping too low!) It’s a 40:1 ratio of myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol, which has been found to be the perfect amount to improve insulin sensitivity and other PCOS symptoms. 

Magnesium

If you’re on the supplement side of social media, you’ve probably heard the great benefits of magnesium, but did you know that there are many different kinds? For women with PCOS who want to improve insulin sensitivity, magnesium oxide and citrate are the kinds you want! It has been shown to improve how the body responds to glucose and manages blood sugar levels. 

Along with managing insulin resistance, magnesium is also one of the recommended supplements to help fertility in women with PCOS. This is another reason we made sure it was a part of our MetaMulti vitamin in our PCOS supplement kit, Metabolism Plus! Adding a magnesium supplement to your daily regimen could improve several PCOS symptoms—for the full scoop, here are the benefits of magnesium for PCOS. 

Omega-3

Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that is found in fish, like salmon, and fatty produce, like avocados. Since our bodies do not naturally produce omega-3, it’s super important that we consume it through our diet or with a supplement, especially if working to manage PCOS. Its effectiveness in managing insulin levels makes it one of the best PCOS supplements for weight loss and metabolic health! 

Just like the other supplements I’ve recommended, omega-3 addresses other PCOS symptoms like infertility, high cholesterol, inflammation, mood swings, and even hair loss. This is exactly why I’ve included it in my Metabolism Plus supplement bundle! 

Chromium

Our bodies naturally produce chromium, but you can also find it in fruits, vegetables, meats, and certain grains. While you can consume chromium through diet, Cysters could benefit from increased levels of chromium. Chromium has been shown to help improve insulin resistance and inflammation—two big causes of many of your PCOS symptoms! 

To ensure you get your daily dose of chromium, I included it in my MetaMulti multivitamin that’s included in the Metabolism Plus bundle. It’s full of tons of essential vitamins and minerals in one convenient tablet, to help give your body all the support it needs! Here’s everything included in the MetaMulti—you’ll notice plenty that’s beneficial for insulin sensitivity and metabolic health! 

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 is one of the most essential vitamins our bodies need to function. And the only way to get it is either through direct sunlight—which I know can be difficult for Cysters who live in places with long winters—or through supplements. For Cysters, vitamin D3 has a ton of benefits, like balancing hormones, increasing insulin sensitivity, boosting fertility, and reducing inflammation.

So, while you can stand in the sun for 20 minutes and get your daily dose of vitamin D, I recommend taking it as a daily supplement, so you can be confident you’re getting the dose you need. It’s one of the most essential vitamins and minerals for improving those insulin levels! 

How to Manage Insulin Resistance in PCOS

Along with adding PCOS insulin resistance supplements to your daily routine, there are other natural ways to improve insulin sensitivity that you can practice. 

Try a gluten and dairy-free diet. 

When it comes to a PCOS-friendly diet, I recommend an anti-inflammatory, gluten- and dairy-free diet full of whole foods, with a limited consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods. Focusing on a balanced diet can help reverse PCOS symptoms and help your body better metabolize blood sugar. 

And, when your body better metabolizes sugar, your insulin resistance improves. Then, you can finally have relief from symptoms like fatigue, intense cravings, and increased thirst. You’ll likely find that you can finally hit your weight loss goals too! Get on track with a balanced diet through PCOS-friendly recipes on The Cysterhood app and find your new favorite meals. 

Practice slow-weighted exercises.

We’ve all heard that the type of exercise you choose is absolutely essential for a healthy PCOS lifestyle, but did you also know that it can help you improve insulin sensitivity? That’s right! 

Practicing slow-weighted exercises for PCOS or even meditative workouts like yoga, pilates, or walking can totally transform how your body manages blood sugar levels and other root issues of PCOS. It doesn’t just help you lose weight and improve your metabolic health through improving insulin sensitivity, it also helps by reducing stress, balancing hormones, and reducing inflammation! 

Make sure to check out my collection of PCOS-friendly workout routines on The Cysterhood app for your new exercise plan!

Manage your stress. 

Women with PCOS often have high cortisol levels, which can also impact how our bodies metabolize glucose. I’ve spoken about how increased cortisol can lead to elevated blood sugar levels and even weight gain. (Yes, stress can lead to weight gain by increasing your insulin resistance!) One way to combat both elevated cortisol and the resulting insulin resistance is by managing your stress. 

Practice meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises to take control of your stress and lower your stress hormones. I even recommend just getting out in nature and spending more time doing what you love—whatever you need to do to get that stress under control. Not only will your body thank you, but your mind will, too! 

You can naturally improve insulin sensitivity and relieve PCOS symptoms!

There are a lot of root problems that tag along with PCOS, but addressing just one of them can open the door to relief for so many symptoms! When you address insulin resistance by taking the right supplements daily and making smart lifestyle changes, you can improve insulin sensitivity, reverse PCOS symptoms, and even lose weight. 

The best supplements for PCOS are the ones made specifically for your body. That’s why I created NSF-certified Ovafit supplements like Ovasitol Powder and Metabolism Plus bundle, which has everything you need to support your PCOS body! You’re not alone in this journey, I and thousands of other Cysters are here to help educate and support you!