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Diet Doctor Podcast · January 25, 2021 · 55m
Insulin Resistance and Why We Get Sick
BYU metabolic scientist Dr. Ben Bikman explains how insulin resistance is the common root of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, and PCOS. Why fasting insulin — not fasting glucose — is the early warning marker.
Canon
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Bikman: the Alzheimer's brain shows profound insulin resistance — glucose uptake is impaired by 25-45%. This has led researchers to call Alzheimer's 'type 3 diabetes.' Metabolic interventions that reduce insulin resistance may slow or prevent neurodegeneration.
Highlights
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Insulin resistance precedes diabetes by 10-20 years — fasting insulin catches it early, fasting glucose catches it late
Bikman: fasting glucose is the last marker to become abnormal in the progression to diabetes. Fasting insulin rises 10-20 years earlier as the body compensates for growing resistance. By the time glucose is elevated, significant metabolic damage has already occurred.