Episode summary
Insulin Expert: How To 'Drain' Your Liver of Fat (Do This!)
The Diary of a CEO
· · 2 hr 2 min · Hosts: Steven Bartlett · Guests: Benjamin Bikman
Summary
Benjamin Bikman argues that weight loss is driven less by calorie counting than by lowering insulin, because insulin pushes energy into fat and liver stores and keeps hunger high. He says a low-carb or ketogenic approach can make fat loss easier by reducing insulin, allowing fat cells to release fuel and the liver to make ketones, which the brain can use instead of glucose. He also says this explains why people often feel less hungry and more mentally steady on keto than on a high-carb diet.
He frames ketones as more than a backup fuel: in his view, they can improve appetite control, attention, mood, and even help people with eating disorders or neurological conditions. He cites research and personal anecdotes to argue that ketosis may raise metabolic activity in fat tissue, increase energy waste through breath and urine, and help the body access stored fat without constant hunger. He also says the heart may benefit from ketones, especially in heart failure, and describes an experiment in which a ketone drink lowered his own blood pressure.
On sustainability, Bikman rejects the idea that keto is uniquely extreme, saying any diet works only while you keep doing it. He adds nuance for women, arguing hormone cycles matter and that some phases may make fasting or keto harder, but he says evidence does not support the claim that keto uniquely spikes cortisol in women.
Key takeaways
- Benjamin Bikman says the main lever for fat loss is lowering insulin, not simply cutting calories, because hunger tends to defeat calorie deprivation over time.
- He says ketones are the brain’s preferred fuel and can reduce hunger, improve attention, and stabilize energy compared with glucose swings.
- Bikman argues ketosis may increase metabolic activity in fat tissue and cause the body to waste more energy through breath and urine.
- He says the heart may also benefit from ketones, and he described an N-of-1 blood pressure drop after taking a ketone drink.
- For women, Bikman says hormone cycles matter, but he does not believe keto uniquely raises cortisol based on available data.
Notable quotes
“The way you frame the question is really relevant because within North America, you see a a pattern, a rhythm to both weight gain and even insulin resistance as it is quantified throughout the year”
“the one macronutrient that we have the hardest time controlling and I would say it's the one macronutrient that has the most disastrous consequences in the form in which we consume it”
“insulin as a hormone is the one metabolic hormone to rule them all. It will determine what the body does with energy at every single cell”
“the brain is constantly relying on the energy in the blood that it can use, especially glucose and ketones, the two primary fuels for the brain”
“it is impossible. In fact, this is worth a tangent for just a moment because I can state this so emphatically”
How the episode opens
One of the problems with weight loss goals is saying you need to cut calories in order to get there. Now, I'm not saying calories don't matter. They are relevant, but not the most relevant. And I'm going to talk about evidence to support that.
If someone is listening at home now and they have the goal of losing some weight, they want to be in a better physique, be more healthy. Is this conversation going to help them accomplish those goals? — I'll make sure that they get what they need.
Dr. Benjamin Bickman is one of the world's leading metabolic and fat cell scientists. And now he's returned to expose some of the myths surrounding weight loss — And the surprising impact that one particular hormone has on our weight, brain, and mental health.
As a metabolic scientist, I wouldn't want someone to think there is only one way to lose weight. However, I think this is the most practical and simplest strategy, a ketogenic diet. A huge reason is that when you cut carbs, insulin comes down.
And insulin as a hormone is the one metabolic hormone to rule them all. Insulin will tell every single cell of the body what it needs to do with energy. And insulin is so determined to store energy that it is directing calories to be stored in tissues like fat or in the liver
To make you fat. — Yeah. But there's more. Ketones are the brain's preferred fuel. It can control anxiety, improve depression. It can help with attention. In fact, the benefits of ketones are so extensive that companies are finding ways so you can drink ketones.
And I have a bunch of different exogenous ketone products here, a variety of different brands and a bunch of other things here on the table.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- keto
- insulin resistance
- glp-1 drugs
- ketones
- fasting insulin test
Companies and tickers mentioned
- NVO
- Insulin IQ
- Novo Nordisk
Watch the episode
Watch “Insulin Expert: How To 'Drain' Your Liver of Fat (Do This!)” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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