Optimal Health Daily - Fitness and Nutrition 3093: Carbs and Insulin: Are They to Blame? By Sam Lynch of Fitnitiative on Managing Overall Energy Balance
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Aug 23, 2025 Carbohydrates and insulin are often misrepresented as the main culprits of weight gain. Sam Lynch reveals that storing carbs as fat is an inefficient process and emphasizes that calorie surplus is the real issue. The podcast challenges the demonization of specific food groups, encouraging listeners to focus on managing overall energy balance instead. It also highlights insulin's crucial role beyond fat storage, pointing out that excessive calorie intake, not just carbs, drives long-term fat gain.
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Insulin Is An Acute Regulator
- Insulin spikes after meals as an acute, necessary response to control blood sugar and shuttles nutrients into cells.
- Insulin's temporary suppression of fat breakdown doesn't mean it causes long-term fat gain on its own.
Carbs-to-Fat Conversion Is Inefficient
- Converting excess carbs into fat (de novo lipogenesis) is an energy-expensive, inefficient pathway.
- The body preferentially oxidizes extra carbs and stores dietary fat instead, so carbs rarely convert to fat unless calories are excessive.
Dietary Fat Is Preferentially Stored
- Dietary fat is easier to store because it requires no repackaging and is preferentially saved when calories overflow.
- Carbs can 'push' dietary fat into storage by increasing overall energy in the system.