In this foundational January episode, Dr. Scott Watier and Tommy Welling put insulin at the forefront of 2026 by unpacking five surprising metabolic insights from Dr. Ben Bikman, the world's leading insulin researcher, revealing why standard blood work misses early insulin resistance for years before glucose finally rises. They expose the hidden metabolic crisis where normal labs mask the slow march of insulin resistance that begins in overfilled fat cells—which become insulin resistant first as a protective mechanism to prevent rupture—then cascades to the liver, muscle, endothelium, and brain, explaining why seemingly unrelated conditions like PCOS, erectile dysfunction, brain fog, and cardiovascular disease all stem from the same insulin dysfunction. The hosts debunk the saturated fat myth by revealing that most saturated fat in your bloodstream comes from your liver converting excess carbohydrates through de novo lipogenesis, not from butter or steak, making late-night carbs particularly devastating since insulin sensitivity drops 30% at night, sabotaging sleep and activating fight-or-flight responses. This episode delivers the science-backed framework for why fasting isn't about restriction but about asking less of your insulin so cells can finally hear the signal to burn fat, providing actionable strategies including earlier meal timing, resistance training for glucose utilization, and specific lab markers like fasting insulin and HOMA-IR that flag metabolic dysfunction long before standard tests catch it.
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Relevant Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PROANAQkwA
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