Fat Cell Scientist: 99% People Lose Weight & Stop Disease Faster With This Insulin Trick

Rangan Chatterjee

Oct 1, 2025

Episode description

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Most of us will never have our insulin levels tested, yet this single hormone is the body’s master regulator of energy. When it stops working properly, almost every system in the body is affected, from how we store fat, to how we age.

Today’s guest is Dr Ben Bikman, a scientist and world-leading expert on insulin and metabolism. He’s a Professor in the Department of Physiology and and Developmental Biology at Brigham Young University (BYU) and has spent years researching how changes inside our cells lead to common metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dementia. He frequently publishes his research in peer-reviewed journals, speaks at scientific conferences all over the world and is the author of 2 books, Why We Get Sick and How Not to Get Sick.

In this conversation, we discuss:
● Why insulin is the body’s “master hormone”, guiding how we store and use energy and how resistance to it can cause a wide range of chronic health problems.
● The fact that almost 9 in 10 adults show signs of poor metabolic health, and why this is a global issue that affects countries far beyond the United States.
● How ethnicity and genetics shape the way we store fat, explaining why two people of the same weight and size can face very different risks of conditions like type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
● Why focusing only on blood glucose misses the early warning signs of poor metabolic health, and why measuring insulin levels offers a clearer and earlier picture of risk.
● The visible clues your body may already be giving you – such as skin tags or darker, velvety patches of skin around the neck or armpits – that can indicate chronically elevated insulin.
● Practical strategies to bring insulin down, from reducing refined sugars and starches to spacing out meals and experimenting with fasting in ways that work for both men and women.

So often, we’re told that chronic illnesses are inevitable or a natural part of ageing. But as Ben explains, many of these conditions have a common origin – and by focusing on insulin resistance, we can take powerful steps towards prevention and even reversal.

This conversation is not about fear, but empowerment. It’s a reminder that our everyday choices – how and what we eat, how we move, and how often we give our bodies a rest from food – can profoundly influence our future health.

#feelbetterlivemore
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Connect with Ben:
https://www.benbikman.com/

Ben’s Books:
Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease and How to Fight It UK https://amzn.to/46F0HGf US https://amzn.to/3IMP8VA
How Not to Get Sick: A Cookbook and Guide to Prevent and Reverse Insulin Resistance, Lose Weight, and Fight Chronic Disease UK https://amzn.to/486kEYZ US https://amzn.to/48EVZLj

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Fuel your brain with ketones for optimal energy

The brain prefers ketones over glucose for fuel, obtaining up to 70% of its energy from them even when glucose levels are twice as high.

#brain

#metabolism

Utilize Lumen to optimize evening carb intake for fat-burning

A breathalyzer device called Lumen can show a direct correlation between your evening carb intake, meal timing, and your ability to enter fat-burning mode overnight.

#device

#metabolism

Test metabolic flexibility with a 24-hour fast

A metabolically healthy adult should be able to fast for 24 hours without significant effort, and an inability to do so signals metabolic inflexibility.

#fasting

#metabolism

Recognize skin signs of insulin resistance for better health

Dark, crinkled skin on the neck (acanthosis nigricans) and skin tags are strong external indicators of underlying insulin resistance.

#insulin

#skin

Leverage exogenous ketones despite high insulin levels

Taking exogenous ketones while having high insulin is a "metabolic paradox," but evidence suggests it is not a metabolic problem and can still be beneficial.

#insulin

#metabolism

Rethink glucose-centric medicine to prevent harm

Modern medicine's focus on glucose is a late marker for disease, and treatments that raise insulin to lower glucose can cause net harm.

#glucose

#insulin

Understand fast and slow insulin resistance for better metabolic health

Insulin resistance can be "fast" (from chronically high insulin) or "slow" (from fat cells growing too large), which explains ethnic differences in metabolic health.