In Focus by The Hindu In Focus-Weekend | ‘Sick Nation’: Are you eating your way into metabolic dysfunction?
Dec 21, 2025
Karan Sarin, a metabolic health coach and author of 'Sick Nation', shares his journey into health after a family tragedy. He discusses the alarming rise of lifestyle diseases linked to insulin resistance in India. Karan explains how diabetes and heart disease are intertwined through insulin dysfunction. He highlights the role of modern diets and sedentary lifestyles in worsening metabolic health. Listeners learn about early signs of insulin resistance and practical lifestyle changes to combat this growing epidemic.
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Family Health Crisis Sparked The Journey
- Karan Sarin recounts his father's cardiac arrest and subsequent hypoxic brain injury that transformed his view on health.
- That crisis drove him to study metabolic health and write Sick Nation to prevent similar outcomes.
Insulin Is Central Not Peripheral
- Insulin is a hormone that controls glucose and affects every cell, not just a drug for diabetics.
- Chronic high-carb diets and inactivity keep insulin elevated, driving tissues to become resistant.
Glucose Tests Detect Disease Late
- Insulin resistance develops silently as pancreas compensates by overproducing insulin for years.
- Blood glucose and HbA1c rise only late, so glucose tests miss early dysfunction.