The Metabolic Classroom with Dr. Ben Bikman
by Insulin IQ
Welcome to The Metabolic Classroom, a nutrition and lifestyle podcast focused on metabolism, which is how our bodies use energy, and the truth behind why we get sick and fat. Every week, Dr. Ben Bikman shares valuable insights that you can apply in your own life and share with friends and loved ones. The Metabolic Classroom is brought to you by BenBikman.com and InsulinIQ.com.
Episodes
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How Your Body Fat Can Make You Hungrier
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com In this mini lecture, Dr. Ben Bikman introduces asprosin, a hormone released primarily by fat tissue that helps regulate…
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Why What You Eat Still Matters on GLP-1 Drugs
Questions? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: GLP-1 medications help reduce appetite, while low-carbohydrate diets help lower insulin and support fat burning,...
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Could Low Potassium Be Raising Your Blood Sugar?
Questions? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Summary: Dr. Ben Bikman explains the surprising relationship between potassium, insulin, and blood sugar control.…
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Why Your Body Fights to Regain Lost Weight
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Summary: Dr. Bikman explains why losing a large amount of weight can sometimes cause the body's metabolism to slow down…
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Why Micronized Progesterone Is Different
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Dr. Bikman explains why micronized progesterone should not be confused with the synthetic progestins historically used in...
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Can Your Body Make More GLP-1 Naturally?
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Summary: Dr. Bikman explains why some people may produce an inadequate GLP-1 response and how insulin resistance could be...
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What Your Glucose Monitor Is Missing
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Continuous glucose monitoring shows how the body handles glucose, but it cannot reveal how much insulin was required...
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The New GLP-1 Pills & What You Need to Know
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com In today’s mini-lecture, Dr. Ben Bikman explains the new generation of oral GLP-1 medications and why two drugs that come…
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Why Your Body Chooses Sugar Over Fat
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Insulin is one of the body’s most important signals for determining whether you burn glucose or fat: when insulin...
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The Biggest Myth About Mitochondrial Health
Question? 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Mitochondria often struggle in insulin resistance not because they are broken, but because there are fewer of them...
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Why Exercise Alone Won’t Help You Lose Weight
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Ben challenges one of the most common beliefs about exercise—that its primary purpose is to help people lose weight. While exercise...
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Why Some People Stay Thin No Matter What They Eat
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Some people stay lean because they burn more fat in muscle, move more without realizing it, or naturally expend more energy...
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Why You're Always Hungry (Even After Eating)
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Dr. Ben Bikman explains why constant hunger is often driven by hormones rather than a lack of willpower. He begins by showing how…
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Visceral Fat - The Hidden Fat That Drives Insulin Resistance
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com In this lecture, Dr. Ben Bikman explains why visceral fat is one of the most metabolically dangerous forms of body fat. Unlike...
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Why Your Bones Affect Your Metabolism
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Bone is a metabolically active organ that responds to insulin and glucose while releasing hormones that influence the…
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Why Some People Burn More Calories Than Others
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com In this Metabolic Classroom episode, Dr. Bikman explains mitochondrial uncoupling, a process where cells burn fuel without converting...
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Why Amylin May Be the Most Important Weight Loss Hormone You've Never Heard Of
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Amylin is an insulin-sparing satiety hormone released with insulin that slows digestion, restrains glucagon, and helps reduce...
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Why Your Ketone Readings Don’t Match
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Note: However, their CKM is not yet available in the United States and Canada. It is currently available in selected countries...
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Why Retatrutide May Outperform GLP-1 Drugs
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Retatrutide activates GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors, combining appetite suppression with increased energy expenditure and...
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Why Tirzepatide Works Better Than GLP-1 Alone
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Tirzepatide activates both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, producing weight loss primarily through appetite suppression, slower…
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The Hidden Signals That Make Fat Cells Grow
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Nuclear receptors inside fat cells respond to lipid-soluble signals and help determine whether cells become fat cells and how...
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Why Neuropathy Isn’t Just About Blood Sugar
Topic: Peripheral neuropathy is not caused by high glucose alone, but by the combined effects of hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and glycemic variability. Protecting nerves requires improving insulin sensitivity and reducing glucose swings—not just lowering A1C. Summary: Ben explains why...
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How Your Brain Talks to Your Pancreas (The Vagus Nerve Explained)
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: The vagus nerve is a major communication line between the brain and abdominal organs, helping regulate liver glucose output,...
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The Muscle Biology Behind Diabetes Risk
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Summary: In this lecture, Dr. Ben Bikman explores how skeletal muscle fiber type influences insulin sensitivity and diabetes risk....
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How Insulin May Be Silencing Your GLP-1
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Summary: GLP-1 has become one of the most talked-about hormones in modern medicine, largely due to the rise of GLP-1 receptor agonist...
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Why Creatine Is One of the Most Important Brain Nutrients
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Creatine supports brain function by rapidly regenerating ATP, making it essential for cognitive performance, especially under...
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Why Gum Disease Raises Your Blood Sugar
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Most people think of gum disease as a local dental issue, but this lecture reveals a much broader and more consequential reality. Dr....
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Ivermectin Explained: The Science Behind the Controversy
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning drug with emerging evidence showing it influences mitochondria, inflammation, and…
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How Sleep Loss Rewires Your Hunger Hormones
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Sleep loss alters key hunger hormones—reducing leptin and increasing ghrelin—while simultaneously activating reward pathways...
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Why Alzheimer’s May Be a Metabolic Disease
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Alzheimer’s disease has traditionally been explained by the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, but growing evidence...
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The Personal Fat Threshold Explained and Ethnicity’s Impact
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Metabolic disease is driven more by fat cell size and adipose tissue dysfunction than by total body fat. Ethnicity, genetics,...
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How Bile Controls Insulin, GLP-1, and Fat Burning
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Bile acids are powerful hormone-like signaling molecules that regulate liver fat, glucose production, insulin sensitivity,...
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LDL Isn’t the Problem? The Real Drivers of Heart Disease
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: LDL cholesterol is a weak predictor of heart disease compared to markers of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and the...
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Why Exercise Benefits Every Organ — Not Just Muscle
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Exercise prompts your muscles to release extracellular vesicles — tiny molecular packages that deliver health-boosting...
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How Glucose Overload Breaks Your Metabolism (And How to Fix It)
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: This episode explores how the NAD⁺/NADH ratio acts as a key metabolic switch, where excess NADH—often driven by high glucose...
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Why Your Cells Age (And What You Can Do About It)
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site: https://insuliniq.com Topic: Ben explains how AMPK and mTOR are critical regulators of aging and metabolism, and how their balance can be influenced by…
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Separating Nicotine from Smoking: Myths, Metabolism, and Medicine
Listen ad-free by becoming an Insider: https://benbikman.com Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com Nicotine may not be the addictive villain it's made out to be.…
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The Hidden Power of Ketones: Fueling + Signaling
Listen ad-free by becoming an Insider: https://www.benbikman.com References: For complete show notes and references, we invite you to become an Insider subscriber. You’ll enjoy real-time, livestream Metabolic Classroom access which includes live Q&A with Ben after the lecture, unlimited access to...
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GLP-1 Isn’t Enough: Why Glucagon is the Key to Lasting Weight Loss
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com In this lecture, Dr. Ben Bikman explores the misunderstood role of glucagon, insulin’s often-overlooked metabolic...
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Stop Metabolic Inflammation at the Source: Your Gut
📢 Become an Insider: https://benbikman.com 📢 Ben’s LPS/Leaky Gut Recommendations: https://us.fullscript.com/plans/insuliniq-leaky-gut-recommendations 📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site,...
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Boost Testosterone Naturally: Mitochondria, Insulin, and Fighting Back
📢 To listen ad-free, become an Insider: Ben’s website, https://www.benbikman.com 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com In this episode Dr. Bikman explores the concept of “male menopause,” more accurately termed andropause. While women experience a dramatic...
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How Omega-3s Supercharge Fat Loss and Muscle Gain
📢 To listen ad-free, become an Insider: Ben’s website, https://www.benbikman.com 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com In this mini lecture, Dr. Bikman explains the powerful metabolic effects of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids—specifically EPA and DHA—on fat...
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Ketones and Your Heart - How Ketones Protect the Cardiovascular System
Listen Ad-Free: https://benbikman.com In this Metabolic Classroom mini lecture, Dr. Bikman explores the powerful effects of ketones—particularly beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)—on the cardiovascular system. While ketones are typically thought of as a backup fuel, Ben explains how they are, in fact, an...
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Plant Protein vs Animal Protein: What the Science Really Says
Listen Ad-Free: https://benbikman.com In this mini-lecture, Ben explores the biochemical and physiological differences between plant and animal proteins—avoiding environmental or ethical debates and focusing strictly on metabolism and human health. He breaks down essential amino acids…
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Why Women Enter Ketosis Faster Than Men - What the Science Reveals
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind (multilingual): https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com 📢 Become an Insider, Ben’s website: https://www.benbikman.com In this lecture, Dr. Bikman explores how ketogenesis—our...
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How Ketones Help the Brain Recover From Concussions
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind: https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com 📢 Become an Insider, Ben’s website: https://www.benbikman.com In this mini lecture Dr. Bikman explores how concussions cause more than...
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The Power of Plasmalogens: Boost Metabolism & Improve Insulin Sensitivity
📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind: https://benbikman.com/ben-bikmans-digital-ai-mind 📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com 📢 Become an Insider, Ben’s website: https://www.benbikman.com In this Metabolic Classroom lecture, Dr. Bikman explains the crucial role...
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Ketogenesis & Stress: Can Stress Hormones Actually Be Good For You?
visit: https://www.benbikman.com visit: https://insuliniq.com In this Metabolic Classroom lecture, Dr. Bikman explores the deep biochemical relationship between stress and ketone production, uncovering how the body interprets stress signals as cues to mobilize fat and create ketones. He explains...
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Why the Glycocalyx is a Hidden Key to Metabolic Health & How to Protect It
📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com 📢 Become an Insider, Ben’s website: https://www.benbikman.com In this Metabolic Classroom lecture, Dr. Bikman explores the often-overlooked but metabolically vital glycocalyx—a carbohydrate-rich layer coating nearly…
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The Pancreas: Our Most Underrated Metabolic Organ & Why Its Health is Vital
📢 Dr. Bikman’s Community & Coaching Site, Insulin IQ: https://insuliniq.com 📢 Become an Insider, Ben’s website: https://www.benbikman.com In this episode of Metabolic Classroom, Ben Bikman takes a detailed look at the pancreas, a small but mighty organ with two major roles—endocrine and…
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About this show
Welcome to The Metabolic Classroom, a nutrition and lifestyle podcast focused on metabolism, which is how our bodies use energy, and the truth behind why we get sick and fat. Every week, Dr. Ben Bikman shares valuable insights that you can apply in your own life and share with friends and loved ones. The Metabolic Classroom is brought to you by BenBikman.com and InsulinIQ.com.
Hosted by
Insulin IQ