Understanding Insulin is the Key to Fasting Success

Insulin basics laid out in one place. If you only learn one new concept on your fasting journey, make it about the dominant role insulin plays in your body.

“Humans live on one-quarter of what they eat; on the other three-quarters lives their doctor.” —Egyptian pyramid inscription, 3800 BCE

The most pivotal fasting concept to grasp is that of the hormone insulin’s influential role in the body. I frequently mention insulin in my posts but I feel the need to start at the very beginning and lay out the fundamentals of insulin in the simplest language possible and all in one place.

I heard an online doctor say recently that none of his patients who have asked for a list of changes to make but didn’t want to hear the reasons have ever been successful at sticking with them.

This principle of needing to understand the key ideas around why a change is necessary applies to adopting a fasting and feasting lifestyle. Until we are convinced of the science behind the necessity to fast, we are very unlikely to stick with fasting long-term.

Almost everything I know about insulin I learned from either Dr. Jason Fung, author of The Diabetes Code and The Obesity Code, or from Dr. Benjamin Bikman, life-long insulin researcher and author of Why We Get Sick. Dr. Fung’s work has been pivotal in finally unlocking the key behind why few low-calorie diets work and why fasting works when all other plans have failed.

What is a Hormone?

Although we talk about hormones often, it’s helpful to be reminded of the exact definition.

A hormone is a chemical message produced by the body that signals cells to perform a specific function.

Most hormones have only 2-3 jobs in the body. However, some hormones can signal over 200 different processes, and we call such hormones master hormones. Insulin is one such master hormone, and it affects every cell and tissue in the body. Therefore, if there is too much of it flowing through our veins, it can cause a host of health problems.

What is Insulin Resistance