America's Health Problem

We’re getting the Word of Wisdom wrong 

The episode features Greg Matson interviewing Dr. Ben Bikman, a BYU scientist who studies metabolism and insulin resistance. Bikman argues that mainstream dietary guidance has been shaped by weak or misleading science, especially the long-standing claim that saturated fat is a primary cause of heart disease. He says this led to decades of low-fat advice, increased carbohydrate consumption, and worsening metabolic health. In his view, refined carbohydrates are the main dietary driver of insulin resistance, which he describes as the most common metabolic disorder worldwide and a root cause of many chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, infertility, fatty liver disease, and cognitive decline.

A major theme of the interview is Bikman’s distinction between glucose and insulin. He argues that blood glucose is often measured too late in the disease process, while elevated insulin can signal metabolic dysfunction many years earlier. He contends that insulin resistance develops silently over time, with the body producing more and more insulin to keep glucose in the normal range. For that reason, he believes clinicians should pay more attention to insulin levels rather than relying so heavily on glucose and LDL cholesterol.

Bikman also rejects the idea that weight control is simply “calories in, calories out.” He says calories matter, but hormones, especially insulin, strongly influence whether the body stores or burns energy. In the interview, he argues that high-carbohydrate meals raise insulin, promote fat storage, lower metabolic rate, and increase hunger later, whereas meals centered on protein and fat tend to produce better satiety and metabolic outcomes. He recommends three broad nutrition principles: control carbohydrates, prioritize high-quality protein, and do not fear natural fats. He also emphasizes resistance training and muscle mass as important because muscle helps clear glucose from the bloodstream and improves insulin sensitivity.

The final part of the discussion turns to Latter-day Saint theology, especially Doctrine and Covenants sections 89 and 49. Bikman argues that many church members misread the Word of Wisdom as prescribing a vegetarian or plant-based diet. He says no prophet has officially defined a specific “Word of Wisdom diet,” and he interprets the revelation more broadly as a warning against addiction rather than a command to avoid meat. He appeals to D&C 49 and 1 Timothy 4 to argue that teachings forbidding meat are spiritually and scientifically mistaken. This religious section is one of the central features of the episode and is presented as a challenge to common dietary assumptions in LDS culture.

APA reference

Matson, G. (2026, January 30). We’re getting the Word of Wisdom wrong [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq_TOMum5lo

Keywords

insulin resistance, nutrition, Word of Wisdom, saturated fat, metabolic health

Reversing Insulin Resistance

The Hidden Crisis: Insulin Resistance and the Future of Metabolic Health

by David Cornaby

Not long ago, I had a conversation that challenged my understanding of metabolic health. As someone who has been borderline diabetic, I thought I understood the basics—blood sugar control, insulin levels, the necessity of diet and exercise. But what if the real problem starts long before the first symptoms of diabetes appear?

I was introduced to Dr. Ben Bikman, a researcher at Brigham Young University, who has spent his career unraveling the mysteries of insulin resistance. His work suggests that by the time someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the underlying issue—insulin resistance—has been silently developing for years. It’s a condition where the body becomes less responsive to insulin, forcing the pancreas to work harder and harder until, eventually, it can’t keep up. The result? Blood sugar spikes, metabolic dysfunction, and, ultimately, diabetes.

The conversation then turned to solutions, and this is where things got interesting. Our company, Cornaby's Specialty Foods, is developing products designed to make the body more insulin-sensitive rather than just managing blood sugar levels. One of the key discoveries? Allulose—a sugar alternative that doesn’t act like sugar in the body.

Unlike other non-caloric sweeteners, allulose doesn’t spike insulin, doesn’t contribute to weight gain, and, according to animal studies, actually helps reduce insulin resistance, abdominal fat, and liver fat while improving mitochondrial function. That’s a big deal. The body processes it differently, and early studies show that it may not just be a neutral substitute for sugar—it might actively help reverse some of the damage done by years of metabolic dysfunction.

One particularly striking experiment involved a woman wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). She tested her blood sugar response to white bread alone and then to the same bread topped with a jam made using allulose. The result? A negative glucose response—her blood sugar actually dropped after eating the jam. This was something she had never seen before.

I couldn’t help but think about the implications. What if we’ve been focusing on the wrong problem? Instead of simply avoiding sugar, what if we need to address insulin resistance at its core? What if a shift in how we sweeten our foods could fundamentally change how our bodies process energy?

For emergency responders, healthcare workers, and others in high-stress professions, metabolic health is more than just a personal issue—it affects performance, endurance, and long-term resilience. The idea that small, strategic changes in diet could help improve energy levels, cognitive function, and long-term health is compelling.

Our company plans to release a line of products built around allulose in the coming months, with the goal of helping people reclaim their metabolic health without giving up the foods they love. I’ll be following this closely, both as a researcher and as someone personally invested in health and wellness.

For those interested in diving deeper into insulin resistance, I highly recommend looking up Dr. Ben Bikman’s Metabolic Classroom series on YouTube. His research provides a fascinating look into why insulin resistance matters and how we can reverse it before it’s too late.

Change begins with knowledge—and perhaps, with the right tools, we can start to shift the conversation from diabetes management to true metabolic health. 

David Cornaby is President and CEO of Cornaby's Specialty Foods in Payson, Utah. 

Hashtags: #MetabolicHealth #InsulinResistance #DiabetesPrevention #HealthyEating #BloodSugarControl