A New Paradigm of Insulin Resistance

Main Arguments

• The traditional view is that type 2 diabetes happens because the body/cells are “hungry” for sugar (glucose) that can’t get inside, so you need more insulin.
• Dr. Fung presents a different view: the problem is not that the cells are starved, but that they are overloaded—the body is already packed with too much sugar, and adding more insulin just “forces” even more sugar into already full cells.
• Consistently high insulin—caused by eating too many carbs and sugar—leads to fatty liver and more insulin resistance over time.
• Standard medical treatment (adding more insulin/medications) just hides sugar away in your organs, worsening long-term health outcomes, instead of removing it from the body.

Main Takeaways

• Insulin resistance is caused by a “full” body, not a “hungry” one. Imagine a suitcase crammed with clothes: trying to jam more in doesn’t help!
• Type 2 diabetes can be reversed by reducing the total amount of sugar in your body —not just your blood.
• Weight loss surgery or extreme dieting can quickly bring blood sugar and insulin levels to normal—even before most weight is lost—showing the problem is reversible if you get rid of the extra “sugar load” in your body.
• The actual solution is to stop loading your body with excess sugar and let the excess be burned off.

Practical Applications (What you can do)

• Stop adding more sugar and refined carbohydrates to your diet. “Low carb” or ketogenic diets are effective at lowering insulin and burning off extra sugar.
• Try intermittent fasting (eating less often) —this lets your body use up stored sugar for energy.
• These changes can be started by anyone, at any time, and don’t require medication or surgery. They are safe, free, and have strong scientific support.
• Medications that force sugar out of the body (like SGLT2 inhibitors) can help, but changing your diet is even more powerful.

Summary

If you stop putting sugar in (low carb/low sugar eating) and let your body burn off the excess (by eating less often—fasting), you can reverse type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. The disease is not a life sentence; you can take control with diet and lifestyle changes.