Episode #114

Dr. Benjamin Bikman

The Driving Force Behind Chronic Diseases

The first step is to control carbohydrates. Keeping your carbs to 50g per day can help people get off insulin within a week or two. Click To Tweet

If you’ve ever wondered why some people get sick with chronic diseases, today’s guest, Dr. Benjamin Bikman, a top researcher, author, and lecturer, has the answer.

That’s because Dr. Bikman discovered over several years of researching and teaching as a professor that many of our top chronic diseases all shared one root cause.

And by addressing the root of the issue, he found that they could quickly be improved and even eliminated over time.

So the questions are – what is behind all of these chronic diseases and what can we do to prevent them from happening and get rid of them if they’ve surfaced?

That’s exactly what you’ll discover in this episode with Dr. Benjamin Bikman.

When you tune in, you’ll hear more about how he learned what was to blame, his simple yet effective framework for combating this issue and preventing chronic diseases from surfacing, and what diseases are connected to this issue.

You’ll also learn what tests you can have done to see if this is currently a problem for you and what you can do starting today to help prevent it from snowballing into a chronic disease.

Dr. Bikman also dives into how intermittent fasting is a great tool to use here but only when done correctly, which he’ll share more about.

What you eat when you break your fast is the most important part of a fast. Click To Tweet

If you’re not familiar with Dr. Bikman’s work, he received a doctorate degree in bioenergetics, a master’s degree in exercise physiology, and his bachelor’s degree in exercise science.

Since achieving those, he went on to study the causes of metabolic disorders like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dementia as a leading researcher at Brigham Young University where he was also a professor for over a decade.

He publishes his work in peer-reviewed journals and presents across the globe (pre-Covid) at international science conferences and continues to study the role of insulin in the body.

On top of his academic achievements, Dr. Bikman recently published a book titled, Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease—and How to Fight It, which you’ll also hear more about in this episode.

Dr. Bikman also addresses why our current nutritional advice is outdated and causing more people to get sick and what can be done to fix it starting today.

Here’s a preview of what Dr. Bikman and I get into in this episode:

  • Dr. Bikman’s journey and how he came at this problem through the angle of scientific research and seeing what the data found
  • Dr. Bikman’s background in exercise physiology to shifting to fat cell research
  • What he discovered about fat cells and why it’s so important
  • The connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes
  • The surprising conditions connected to insulin resistance  
  • The best way to address insulin resistance
  • How every cell has insulin receptors, what happens when these go bad, and the ones most affected by insulin resistance
  • How insulin resistance affects women with PCOS
  • How we got to this point of insulin resistance thanks to outdated medical advice
  • The connection between linoleic acid, insulin resistance, and obesity
  • What our fat cells leak and why this is a huge problem
  • What is considered a refined carb
  • Why Dr. Bikman doesn’t believe carbs are evil and why he favors some over others 
  • The biggest offenders when it comes to carbs (*hint* it may not be what you think)
  • What about cultures that eat a high carb diet?
  • Is there a genetic component to insulin resistance?
  • Why the combination of high carb and high fat is so deadly
  • How stress plays a huge role in insulin resistance
  • How Japan has pockets of the healthiest living people and a rising insulin resistance issue
  • The four things you can start doing today to improve your health
  • How you can figure out if you are in fact insulin resistant
  • The problem with veggie oils and insulin resistance
  • The step-by-step approach to thinking about nutrition differently
  • A safer carb target per day
  • Animal versus plant protein
  • Why it’s crucial to pair fat and protein together
  • How intermittent fasting can help and what to do when it’s taken too far

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