#104 Dr. Ben Bikman: How To Reverse Insulin Resistance Through Diet, Exercise, & Sleep

Jul 19, 2025

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Found My Fitness - Rhonda Patrick

Key Takeaways

To some degree, insulin resistance is a common root cause for most chronic diseases
A low-carb diet may offer a metabolic advantage by reducing insulin levels, which enhances metabolic flexibility and improves energy regulation
- Fat tissue has a much higher metabolic rate when insulin levels are low
- Since there is much more metabolic uncoupling, the body’s engine revs up to burn energy just to create heat
How to reverse a diabetes diagnosis in 90 days
- Control carbs – focus on whole fruits and vegetables, limiting sugary or starchy choices like bananas, pineapples, and mangoes
- Prioritize protein and do not fear fat – eat protein-rich foods regularly, and do not worry too much about naturally occurring fats
- Time meals and exercise – Eat more calories earlier in the day, avoid late-night eating, and take short walks after your biggest meals to reduce blood sugar spikes
Eating an evening snack spikes your blood sugar and ramps up the sympathetic nervous system, thus increasing body temperature and increasing the likelihood of insomnia and poor sleep; so do not eat within the 3-4 hours before bed
Muscle is a great glucose consumer: The more muscle you have, the more metabolic wiggle room you have because muscle serves as a glucose sink
Blood-sugar-lowering supplements that work:magnesium,alpha lipoic acid (ALA),berberine, andapple cider vinegar
Eating too much linoleic acid (from seed oils) can lead to the production of a toxic substance (4H&E) that prevents your body from creating new small fat cells, and instead forces existing fat cells to just swell up
Concerning GLP-1 dosing, caution is warranted; it is probably better to microdose these powerful drugs and think of them as short-term behavioral modification tools instead of lifelong prescriptions
The top biomarkers to measure to determine metabolic health and aging:(1) fasting insulin; want below 6 µIU/mL), (2) Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio; want ratio under 1.5, and (3) Uric acid; want lower levels generally
Lower your insulin by starting with tomorrow’s breakfast:
- Either fast through breakfast and drink coffee, tea, or yerba mate
- Or if you do want to eat, then choose low-glycemic-load vegetables and berries, and consume more protein and fat
Do whatever you can to keep your insulin in check for as long as possible throughout the day; the longer the insulin is low, the more you will improve your insulin sensitivity

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Insulin resistance silently shapes the trajectory of nearly every major chronic disease, yet it's often overlooked until blood sugar abnormalities become obvious. In this episode, Dr. Ben Bikman exposes the dietary culprits that drive metabolic dysfunction and highlights actionable, evidence-based tactics for improving metabolic health. Ben also addresses pressing questions about popular weight loss medications like Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists: Are they groundbreaking solutions, or shortcuts with hidden metabolic consequences?

Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction
(4:51) Can you be insulin resistant with normal glucose levels?
(8:30) Can glucose monitors detect hidden insulin resistance?
(10:01) What your skin reveals about insulin resistance
(11:25) Why is insulin resistance behind so many chronic diseases?
(15:46) Does obesity cause insulin resistance—or vice versa?
(22:38) Insulin’s surprising roles beyond blood sugar control
(23:36) What’s driving weight gain—insulin or calories?
(30:30) Do saturated fats cause insulin resistance?
(37:02) Why refined carbs amplify risks from saturated fat
(40:04) Fructose vs. refined sugar—which spikes insulin more?
(41:01) High-carb vs. keto—which diet controls hunger better?
(45:27) Why low-carb diets might provide a metabolic advantage
(47:36) Does exercise give you metabolic ‘wiggle room’?
(52:00) Why strength training beats cardio for insulin sensitivity
(54:03) Should you lower insulin before cutting calories?
(57:12) Does meal frequency drive insulin resistance?
(1:00:32) Is nighttime snacking giving you insomnia?
(1:02:24) Can a sugary breakfast lead to overeating later?
(1:07:19) Does late-night eating disrupt sleep more than blue light?
(1:08:59) Can one bad night’s sleep trigger insulin resistance?
(1:12:23) Can air pollution cause weight gain?
(1:16:15) Vaping vs. smoking—which is worse for metabolic health?
(1:17:40) Can statins and antidepressants trigger weight gain?
(1:20:22) How to reverse insulin resistance in 90 days
(1:26:59) Does apple cider vinegar really lower blood sugar?
(1:30:54) Ketone supplements—are the metabolic benefits real?
(1:36:34) Why some ethnicities get diabetes without obesity
(1:44:28) How oversized fat cells trigger metabolic chaos
(1:49:28) Do seed oils silently promote insulin resistance?
(1:52:44) Seed oils—always harmful or only when heated?
(1:58:35) Fat, muscle, or liver—where does insulin resistance start?
(2:04:21) Do fat cells shrink or disappear with weight loss?
(2:07:05) Are shrunken fat cells still insulin resistant?
(2:08:15) Can exercise and cold therapy specifically shrink visceral fat?
(2:09:40) Injecting insulin for muscle—are the risks worth it?
(2:12:45) Are drugs like Ozempic a shortcut or solution for obesity?
(2:19:12) Are current GLP-1 agonist doses too high?
(2:20:02) Microdosing GLP-1 drugs—a solution for carb cravings?
(2:26:01) Do these medications cause muscle loss—or is it poor nutrition?
(2:28:30) Do GLP-1 agonist benefits extend beyond weight loss?
(2:30:41) Could these treatments actually promote longevity?
(2:36:12) The dark side of GLP-1 drugs—can they trigger depression?
(2:39:31) Insulin vs. glucose—what really drives accelerated aging?
(2:44:34) How high glucose levels damage cells—from glycolysis to sorbitol
(2:46:40) How insulin shuts down your body’s stress defenses
(2:51:15) Which biomarkers best predict biological aging?
(2:55:05) One simple breakfast change to lower insulin
(2:57:19) Does eating dinner early improve insulin sensitivity?

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