Today we have Dr. Benjamin Bikman on the Keto Kamp Podcast. Dr. Bikman is a biomedical scientist, professor, and expert on insulin resistance.

 

Dr. Benjamin Bikman studies diabetes and obesity, and much of what he focuses on is a seemingly obscure condition called insulin resistance. But it’s, in fact, not very obscure at all. Half of all adults in the U.S. have insulin resistance. That means you could have it too, and you don’t know it.

 

What is insulin resistance? Why did Dr. Benjamin Bikman devote his career to studying something like this? Well, insulin resistance is essentially two things. First of all, some cells in your body aren’t responding very well to the hormone insulin. Second, you have more insulin than you did before, a condition called hyperinsulinemia.

 

Insulin resistance is at the root of virtually every chronic disease. If we go through the chronic diseases that are killing us today, things like Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and certain cancers, what they all have in common is insulin resistance. To varying degrees, insulin resistance is either causing the problem or making it worse.

 

In this episode, Dr. Bikman and I talk about what inspired him to dedicate his life to researching insulin resistance. First, Dr. Bikman reveals the correlation between air pollution and diabetes.

Plus, Dr. Bikman explains how insulin is related to almost every single chronic disease out there. He also describes what type of things you should be eating if your glucose levels are high and what to eat if you are metabolically flexible. Tune in!

 

 

[08:45] How Dr. Bikman Chose His Profession

  • Bikman realized he has always been fascinated with how the body was affected by exercise.
  • One day, he saw an article in the newspaper about how fat cells secrete hormones. At the time, we only knew about one protein that was emitted from fat cells.
  • Bikman’s graduate thesis focused on obesity.
  • Then, Dr. Bikman did post-doctoral work on insulin resistance. Currently, he has his own lab at BYU and continues to focus on insulin.
  • “I get paid to be curious.”

 

[12:50] The Correlation Between Air Pollution and Diabetes

  • The correlational evidence is so keen; it warrants further scrutiny.
  • You can take the smallest particles from diesel exhaust – and one week of rodents inhaling the particles - they’re insulin resistance has doubled.
  • It puts in perspective the heavily industrialized countries like India and China. Plus, they are the countries with the most diabetics. Might part of it be the profound air pollution?
  • Runners should get a mask filter if they are living in a heavily polluted area.

 

[18:45] Focusing on Insulin   

  • Bikman focuses on insulin because the more he learns about obesity, the more the finger points at insulin.
  • Once Dr. Bikman started teaching a class about disease, the more he realized how insulin is part of almost every chronic disease.
  • Inadvertently, he created an insulin resistance class. After every disease topic, Dr. Bikman puts in a lesson about insulin resistance at the end – it’s involved in almost every disease.
  • Lifestyle is a tremendous part of fixing the problem of insulin.

 

[24:10] The Ongoing Focus on Glucose

  • Historically, the most common manifestation of diabetes is a high level of glucose. The kidney cannot absorb high levels of glucose, so the person has to urinate a lot. This common feature of diabetes is a consequence of high glucose levels.
  • Today, we know that insulin starts to change decades before the glucose begins to change. By continuing to focus on the glucose, we are focusing on a symptom instead of a root cause.
  • As the person becomes insulin resistance, it’s enough to keep the glucose in check. Eventually, a person stops producing insulin and becomes deficient. Now, the glucose is no longer in check.
  • By focusing on glucose, it’s a wonderful way to sell a lot of insulin.

 

[27:15] What to Eat if You Are Struggling With Glucose Levels  

  • There is an incredibly rational strategy to deal with glucose levels – cutting carbs.

 

[32:55] What to Eat When You Are Metabolically Flexible

  • A healthy person can push the glucose out into their cells very well.
  • In a fasted state, they will use fat for fuel.
  • Some people are trying to burn glucose all the time. When you go to a fasted state, they do not make the dramatic shift – they stay in sugar burning mode.
  • Imagine a semi-truck with fuel hooked on to its back. There’s the massive fuel tank, and the small tank tucked into the cab. The small tank is being used as its fuel source; every few hours, they stop and fill it up. However, it carries around a massive reservoir of fuel that it can never use.
  • We have a finite amount of stored glucose – this is a tank that some people only tap into. If we can allow a metabolic shift, we can tap into the fat tank.
  • If we are burning sugar, it’s because insulin is high. If someone is insulin resistance, it can take 48 hours of fasting to get those levels down.
  • Metabolic flexibility is key!

 

[40:00] Fasting With High Glucose Levels

  • People can sense a slight dip in glucose levels during fasting. They will feel a sense of anxiety, panic, and hunger. Hunger comes in different stages.
  • Some people can fast for a whole year because they are so fat. They have enough energy stored as fat.
  • The difference between fasting and starving is fat mass. The moment the person has run out of fatty tissue – the body will start cutting muscle.
  • In our society, people do not really get to the starvation point.

 

[44:10] About Excess Protein

  • In 2016, Dr. Bikman gave his first talk about low carbs. Within that year, he was struck with how many people were drinking oil. They were drinking oil because they thought protein would kick them out of ketosis.
  • Protein and carbohydrates together are a different story. In nature, this doesn’t happen unless in dairy. The only time humans drink milk is when they are growing.
  • Bikman says protein has been unnecessarily scrutinized.

 

[47:45] Exercising in a Fasted State

  • Some people feel nauseous if they do not have food in their guts. Dr. Bikman exercises in the fasted state because he wants to feel light and lean. He doesn’t want to make working out harder than it actually is.
  • Also, he wants to have a higher state of fat burning. What you eat boards the bus before what you have stored. Dr. Bikman wants to be using what he has saved.

 

[49:50] Cortisol Hijacks Insulin

  • Cortisol tells the body where to store fat.
  • Bikman is unaware of a hormone that can do what insulin can.
  • Cortisol results in a shift – it will promote the movement of fat. It’s an insulin antagonist.
  • Cortisol wants to increase glucose levels to fuel an immune response.

 

[53:15] Calories In, Calories Out

  • Imagine people are attending an extravagant buffet with the most famous chefs. You want to come as hungry as possible. What are you going to do? You are going to skip meals and exercise hard. What are the two things we tell people to lose weight? Eat less and exercise more. Hunger will always win. Do not try and live in a caloric deficit.
  • We are complicated metabolic machines.

 

 

AND MUCH MORE!

 

Resources from this episode:

 

 

 

This podcast is for information purposes only. Statements and views expressed on this podcast are not medical advice. This podcast including Ben Azadi disclaim responsibility from any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own, and this podcast does not accept responsibility of statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guests qualifications or credibility. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or non-direct interest in products or services referred to herein. If you think you have a medical problem, consult a licensed physician.

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