Reversing Insulin Resistance with Protein and Good Fats
- Apr 12, 2023
- 2 min read
There was so much good info in this conversation between Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, founder of Metabolic Link, a medical and science podcast, and world-renowned metabolic scientist Ben Bikman, PhD on reversing insulin resistance, the best protein sources to eat, and the importance of quality fats.
Given that the conversation was between two scientists, it did tend to get pretty technical but here are some digestible nuggets that I gleaned:
Insulin is a fat storing hormone and insulin resistance (the inability of insulin to do its job of moving glucose into the cells) starts in the fat cells.
If glucose cannot get into the cells for energy, insulin ends up storing more and more energy as fat.
Insulin resistance in the fat cells means that the fat is not being burned.
To lose weight, you can either restrict energy (calories) or focus on decreasing insulin (by eating fewer starches and sugars).
Dr. Bikman suggests that decreasing insulin is the best way to achieve your goal because “hunger always wins,” meaning metabolism slows when food is scarce and you are more likely to overeat, regaining the weight, if you restrict calories.
However, you can restrict insulin without putting the body in starvation mode by focusing on eating quality fats and protein.
You are much less likely to overeat protein than carbs, and even fats, given the high satiety value of those other nutrients compared to carbs.
Dr. Bikman argues that whey (dairy) protein is the best protein for human health, following by beef, other animal proteins, poultry, and then other non-animal proteins.
He notes that fat is critical to the optimal utilization of protein, making it important to eat fat in or with your protein.
For example, he suggests that turkey is a better choice than chicken because it has more fat.
**Content provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is derived from an interview of Ben Bikman, PhD, on the Metabolic Link, a medical and science podcast. It is not to be considered medical advice.**
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