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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Treat insulin resistance as the root cause of many chronic diseases rather than managing each condition separately, and check for it using blood pressure, waist-to-height ratio, and triglyceride-to-HDL ratio. Dr. Ben Bikman's book Why We Get Sick argues that conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and infertility are branches of this single problem.
Key Points
- The book is organized into three parts: what insulin resistance is and how it develops, why it matters for chronic disease, and what to do about it.
- Conditions the speaker links to insulin resistance include diabetes, heart disease, obesity, PCOS, eczema, and some cancers.
- Dr. Bikman's hope is that readers will scrutinize their lifestyle instead of only treating symptoms with separate medications.
- High blood pressure is described as an incredibly common sign of insulin resistance.
- Central fat storage is described as a particularly poor place for the body to store fat.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Ask whether you have hypertension (high blood pressure), yes or no. A yes answer is described as a reason for more concern.
- Measure your waist with a measuring tape at the widest part, usually just below the belly button.
- Measure your height.
- Double your waist measurement. If the doubled number is less than your height, that is described as a good sign. If it is larger than your height, that is described as a bad sign, suggesting central fat storage.
- Check your most recent blood test from a doctor visit. Divide your triglyceride number by your HDL cholesterol number. A result below 1.5 is described as a very good sign, suggesting the person is likely insulin sensitive.
- The speaker presents these checks as indicators, not diagnoses. The transcript does not give clinical thresholds beyond those stated above.
- The interview is from Susan Burch's YouTube podcast in April 2020, with a reference to her site, susanburch.co.nz.
Bottom Line
Insulin resistance is presented as a common root that can connect many seemingly separate chronic conditions, so the speaker's suggested first step is to assess it with simple measurements and blood test ratios, then discuss results with a healthcare professional.
