Metabolic scientist Benjamin Bikman argues insulin, not calories, drives fat storage, and makes the case for a ketogenic diet and ketones.

Dr. Benjamin Bikman: One of the world's leading metabolic and fat-cell scientists, a professor whose lab studies insulin resistance, ketones, and obesity. Returning guest and advocate of low-carb/ketogenic approaches to metabolic health.
Bikman makes the case that insulin, not calorie count, is the master hormone governing fat storage, and that lowering insulin via a low-carb or ketogenic diet shrinks fat cells without the hunger that dooms calorie-cutting. He explains how the liver produces ketones (BHB) when insulin is low, why ketones are the brain's and heart's preferred fuel, and the emerging research on ketones for cognition, anxiety, blood pressure and heart failure. He walks Bartlett through a personal 2026 daily protocol (no carbs until dinner, big lunch, fasted workouts, ruck, ice bath, sauna, yerba mate) and live-tests exogenous ketones by tracking Bartlett's blood ketone levels. The pair also discuss GLP-1 drugs (their two-year diminishing returns and muscle loss), creatine for muscle and brain, sex differences in keto for women, the cancer-as-metabolic-disease theory, and the BBC's 'misinformation' attack on the show.
Una Mate
“The brand that I get is called Una Mate. And it's a leaf. It's a South American tea basically.”— Benjamin Bikman
Morozko Forge
“I have an ice bath on my back patio, a Maroska Forge, and I love it. It is spectacular.”— Benjamin Bikman
Iron Feather
“I do take collagen um as well. Um it's called iron feather. I love it.”— Benjamin Bikman
Sibio
“there was a company out of Germany um that sent me one uh called Sai Bio, Si Bio, and you can just strap it on”— Benjamin Bikman
Goli
“I just tried an ashwagandha source in the form of a little gummy, a goalie gummy and it had enough like a full kind of therapeutic dose”— Benjamin Bikman
Whoop
“you can stack it with other technologies like let's say you're wearing a Whoop... their HRV is suggesting that they're stressed”— Benjamin Bikman
Novo Nordisk
“That's a GLP-1 medication. >> A Zmpeek. >> Ompic. Yeah. >> I've got an Ampec pen right here.”— Steven Bartlett