Insulin is an essential hormone that controls your blood sugar levels.

It’s made in your pancreas and helps move sugar from your blood into your cells for storage. When cells are insulin resistant, they cannot use insulin effectively, leaving your blood sugar high.

When your pancreas senses high blood sugar, it makes more insulin to overcome the resistance and reduce your blood sugar.

Over time, this can deplete the pancreas of insulin-producing cells, which is common in type 2 diabetes. Also, prolonged high blood sugar can damage nerves and organs.

You’re most at risk of insulin resistance if you have prediabetes or a family history of type 2 diabetes, as well as if you are overweight or or have obesity.

Insulin sensitivity refers to how responsive your cells are to insulin. Improving it can help you reduce insulin resistance and the risk of many diseases, including diabetes.

Here are 14 natural, science-backed ways to boost your insulin sensitivity.