Insulin Explained

What this episode covers

Ever been in a situation where you are absolutely positive that you know what someone else is talking about - and then realize you DON’T actually know? With that in mind, did you know that Type 2 diabetes - which is completely preventable - accounts for roughly 97% of all diabetes cases in the U.S.? If you are like most people, you probably don’t exactly know what causes it. But, it’s actually an easy process to understand: Eat a bowl of cereal. (The kind advertised on Saturday morning.) Insulin (made in the pancreas) takes the blood sugar out and converts it to glucose. Insulin looks for a place to store the glucose. Meanwhile, you get hungry again, because the insulin is continuing to work long after the cereal ran out. Insulin knocks on several doors (liver, muscles, etc.) looking for a place to store the glucose. Eventually, there is no room anywhere - in the good locations - to store it. Insulin converts the glucose to triglycerides and dumps it in your fat cells (and possibly organs) instead! What happens now is truly pitiful. Your cells become insulin-resistant and your pancreas has become too overstuffed to produce insulin any longer so now you must get it externally. Will this solve the problem? No, because insulin is fat storing. The more you take, the worse it gets.

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