Dhru Purohit Show
The Biggest Warning Signs That You Have Fatty Liver and What To Do About It
Mon, 06 Jan 2025
This episode is brought to you by LMNT and Fatty15. By conservative estimates, over half of Americans suffer from insulin resistance—a pathway that can lead to numerous chronic diseases. Fortunately, this is not a one-way street; we have the power to change course and protect our long-term health. Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, we bring you a special compilation episode featuring Dhru's conversations with leading experts on the dangers of insulin resistance. Dhru sits down with Kristin Kirkpatrick and Dr. Ibrahim Hanouneh to discuss an epidemic affecting one in four people: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its connection to insulin resistance. Kristin and Dr. Hanouneh highlight the most significant risk factors for fatty liver disease, including metabolic dysfunction and diabetes. They also delve into how ultra-processed foods, excessive sugar consumption, and sedentary lifestyles contribute to the rise in NAFLD cases. Additionally, Dr. Morgan Nolte explains why weight gain and insulin resistance are becoming more prevalent and shares actionable strategies to improve our relationship with insulin. She breaks down how insulin resistance changes as we age and emphasizes the transformative power of optimal fiber intake, quality sleep, stress reduction, and strength training in maintaining metabolic health and achieving an ideal weight. Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN, is a celebrated author, speaker, and accomplished dietitian with over 25 years of experience. She is a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Wellness & Preventive Medicine. Dr. Ibrahim Hanouneh, MD, is a gastroenterologist and hepatologist specializing in liver disease. He served as Chief Gastroenterology Fellow and associate staff at the Cleveland Clinic and later contributed his expertise to Minnesota Gastroenterology and Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Dr. Morgan Nolte is a board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric physical therapy. She recognized a need for preventative education and care that focuses on reversing risk factors instead of just treating symptoms. That led her to focus on developing online courses and coaching programs that help adults reverse insulin resistance for long-term weight loss and disease prevention. In this episode, Dhru and his guests dive into: Why we need to focus on insulin resistance (00:00:05) Biggest warning signs of fatty liver disease (2:04) Role of the liver (6:48) The pathway that leads to fatty liver (9:53) Myths about fatty liver and the major culprit of fatty liver disease (13:12) How non-alcoholic fatty liver gets in the way of our long-term health and chronic inflammation (18:32) Why insulin is crucial (25:06) Why insulin resistance changes as we age (31:27) Toxic traits that damage mindset (39:31) Pillars of nutrition (46:00) Optimizing muscle mass for those in the healthy baseline (51:51) Importance of sleep on your appetite (55:46) Strength training and stress management for optimal insulin levels (1:02:51) Also mentioned: Regenerative Health Book This episode is brought to you by LMNT and Fatty15. Right now, LMNT is offering my listeners a free sample pack with any purchase. Head over to DrinkLMNT.com/dhru today. Fatty15 is offering an additional 15% off its 90-day subscription Starter Kit. Go to fatty15.com/dhru and use code DHRU to replenish your C15 levels for long-term health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is insulin resistance and why is it important?
Hi everyone, Drupal Road here. Today we're talking about a dangerous condition that over half, half of the United States suffers from. And with most other countries either worse or not behind. I'm looking at you, India, and the Middle East. They're all struggling with insulin resistance.
According to top experts, insulin resistance is the leading cause of the biggest diseases of our time, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancers, it definitely plays a huge role, and Alzheimer's disease, which some folks, including many of the people that have been on this podcast, are calling type 3 diabetes.
Insulin resistance, type 3 diabetes, and Alzheimer's, they're all in the same bucket. It's also a big part of what contributes to belly fat and weight gain. For sure, you need excess calories, but when a lot of those calories are also contributing to insulin resistance, you're going to pack on more belly fat.
And the thing about insulin resistance is that it destroys, it eviscerates one of our most crucial organs, the liver. We don't always think about the role that the liver plays in our body, yet the liver has a role in every metabolic process in the body.
And in today's compilation episode, I talk with authors, Kristen Kirkpatrick and Dr. Ibrahim, the co-authors of a book called Regenerative Health, Discover Your Metabolic Type and Renew Your Liver Fat. In this compilation episode, we discuss the function of the liver as well as how insulin resistance and poor metabolic health drives fatty liver disease.
If you've ever heard the term, it's a little bit elusive. It's not fat necessarily that contributes to fatty liver disease. It's the same things that contribute to insulin resistance. We're going to talk about that in today's interview. you. And I also, in this compilation episode, talk with Dr. Morgan Nolte about the role that insulin plays in the body, particularly as it relates to weight gain.
Let's dive right into my conversations with Kristen Kirkpatrick and Dr. Ibrahim. Something mind-blowing that I've learned from your work over the years is that most people that have fatty liver disease don't actually know that they have it. That's why the two of you call this a silent epidemic. Now, before we get into what it is,
I'd love to start off with what are some of the biggest warning signs for somebody listening today, knowing that the vast majority of people that have fatty liver disease don't know they have it. What are some of the top warning signs that somebody listening today might be struggling with it or is on their way to struggling with it? Kristen, do you want to jump in first?
Yeah, let me jump in. I would love to. And thank you for having us today, Drew. We're so honored and privileged to be on the show. You know, I think sometimes when I think about what my patients come to me with, it oftentimes is fatigue. And like I always say, who doesn't have fatigue? So fatigue can mask a lot of different other conditions.
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Chapter 2: What are the biggest warning signs of fatty liver disease?
Intermittent fasting is probably the most powerful tool that you can use to lower blood insulin levels. However, a lot of people are jumping into this tool too soon. So intermittent fasting is pretty much anything over 12 hours. In my opinion, the research will vary. There's not a great definition. It's also known as time restricted, restricted eating.
You're just choosing to eat within a certain window. So I think 12 hours should be the baseline for pretty much everybody. 7.00 PM to 7.00 AM. That's a great baseline. 8.00 PM 8 a.m. I prefer people to eat a little bit earlier before bed, like stop eating at least like three hours before bed, I think is great for sleep.
Anywho, intermittent fasting will be so powerful, but if you're already stressed out, it's not going to be your best first step or your best strategy because it is kind of like another layer of stress on your body. So for people in pair, for women in perimenopause, it might not be the best solution, especially if they're really stressed out. Men tend to tolerate intermittent fasting really well.
Post-menopausal women tend to tolerate fasting very well. Women who are still cycling like myself, we have to be a little bit more specific around when we're fasting. So like anything longer than about, 14 to 16 hours I save for the week of my period.
Um, and like the week kind of like the week after, but I don't like to fast during ovulation and I don't like to fast, um, the week before my period around, around that time. Um, So the hormone production is just ramping up for women. We tend to need a little bit more food. We want more food. And so like honor your body and fast according to your cycle.
But I tell you what, like if you can tolerate intermittent fasting, once you have those baseline health habits established, again, like mindset, weekly accountability meetings, sleep, water, protein, That's a really, really great strategy for you to move into. But I'm not a fan of using fasting as the end-all be-all.
Because if you don't have good baseline health habits, your results from fasting will be short-lived. And so we want to use it as a tool in the lifestyle. Use it strategically. I think that a lot of people could benefit from like a 16-8 schedule during weight loss. I really like that. And then one day a week doing like a little bit more of an extended fast.
It's like a 20 to 22 hour fast doing one meal a day. And then one day a week doing like not really any fasting. So having like a... Oh, 12 to 14 hour fast day, kind of like an exception day is what I call it. That seems to be a really nice rhythm for women, especially to lose weight like Monday through Friday. Maybe you're eating 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., an eight hour window.
And then on Saturday, that could be your exception day. Maybe you go out to eat, have three meals a day, and then on Sunday, just have one meal a day. So it's okay to mix up the fasting schedule. And then I usually like longer fasts for weight loss plateaus and for severe blood sugar issues.
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