Episode 102: Losing Weight & Fixing Diabetes with Fasting with Dr. Jason Fung

The last few years have seen a resurgence in the use of fasting. Fasting is an ancient practice tied to religions and culture. In many ways, how and when we eat developed based on the availability of food. And that food was usually scarce so fasting was common until only recently in human history.

My guest is Dr. Jason Fung, a nephrologist and expert in intermittent fasting for the treatment of diabetes and weight control. He has published numerous books on the subject and comes armed with all sorts of knowledge about the benefits of fasting. His first argument, however, is a simple one - fasting is old, safe, and simple. One doesn't need to do extensive planning, dietary food restrictions, or break the bank. In fact, fasting can be done on a whim, can be used with any diet, and is totally free.

The main source of success from fasting is probably due to controlling insulin. Insulin is the body's primary metabolic hormone and dictates how energy is stored and used. Because of its storage signals, insulin will dictate whether fat stores are increased or decreased which will help with weight loss. Likewise, the loss of fat stores will reverse the disease of diabetes and its dysfunctional glucose control.

Dr. Fung in his practice has helped people lose hundreds of pounds and reversed diabetes leading to a reduction in all the diseases that go along with it like blindness, amputations, heart disease, kidney disease, vascular disease, etc. The best part of the fasting method is that it is versatile and inexpensive.