Show Notes
1 in 4 people have insulin resistance, which quietly raises your risk of heart disease and cancer, often without any change in your blood sugar.
And most of those who have it have no idea. It can remain completely hidden for years, with no obvious symptoms and no warning signs… But it can be reversed.
Today, Professor Rob Semple, a world-leading expert on insulin resistance, explains what insulin does in your body, why you need it to live, and what happens when it stops working properly.
By the end of this episode, you will understand how to spot the warning signs and have practical steps you can take to protect yourself.
If your last blood test came back "normal," how confident are you that it tells the whole story? Are you overlooking one of the biggest drivers of chronic disease?
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Timecodes
Intro
Why insulin might be the most important hormone in your body
What happens if your body stops making insulin
Why not having insulin used to be a death sentence
What happens to your brain when blood sugar drops too low
Why "just lower your insulin" advice can backfire
The shaky, sweaty feeling an hour after eating, explained
The exact moment insulin resistance turns into diabetes
Why high insulin can affect your ovaries
A visible skin sign that insulin levels are too high
The organs most at risk when blood sugar spirals
How common insulin resistance really is in the US and UK
Why your ovaries can be an early sign of insulin resistance
Debunking the online "signs" of insulin resistance
Is insulin resistance actually reversible?
Why your weight matters more than your BMI number
The DEXA scan that revealed hidden visceral fat
Why white bread might not be so different from a can of Coke
Why one type of exercise burns blood sugar best
Do you really need two hours in the gym to see results?
How stress directly changes your blood sugar
Why irregular sleep might be hurting your blood sugar
The one piece of advice for anyone worried about insulin resistance
Why insulin resistance may have once been a survival advantage
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Mentioned in today's episode
Insulinresistance is a risk factor for 12 types of cancer, Nature (2026)
Association of insulin resistance with cancer, American Journal of Cancer Research (2016)
Globalprevalence of insulin resistance, Frontiers in Endocrinology (2025)
RiskReclassification Beyond BMI, (JACC) (2026)
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Episode transcripts are available here.