Why your body might be craving sugar all the time
The energy model of insulin resistance: A unifying theory linking seed oils to metabolic disease and cancer
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Insulin resistance may stem from too much sugar demand—not too much insulin.
Most people think insulin resistance is caused by too much insulin. This study flips it: cells are begging for sugar, so the body pumps out insulin and stress hormones at the same time, creating chaos.
Practical Takeaways
Replace soy, canola, and corn oil with olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil for cooking and dressings.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Insulin resistance may stem from too much sugar demand—not too much insulin.
Most people think insulin resistance is caused by too much insulin. This study flips it: cells are begging for sugar, so the body pumps out insulin and stress hormones at the same time, creating chaos.
Practical Takeaways
Replace soy, canola, and corn oil with olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil for cooking and dressings.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Nutrition
Year
2025
Authors
Catherine Shanahan
Related Content
Claims (7)
The highly processed vegetable oils we eat a lot of today—like soy and canola oil—can cause damage inside our cells because they break down easily and lack protective nutrients, which might mess with how our body uses energy.
As Americans started eating more processed vegetable oils, rates of insulin resistance and diabetes went up at almost the same time—this timing suggests the two might be connected.
If too many cells start burning sugar instead of fat, blood sugar can dip too low between meals—this tricks the body into releasing stress hormones that block insulin, leading to high blood sugar and high insulin at the same time.
Over the last 50 years, the fat stored in our bodies has changed—more of it comes from processed vegetable oils, which might be changing how our body burns energy.
When cells are stressed by too many processed oils, they may switch from burning fat to burning sugar—even when oxygen is available—similar to how cancer cells get energy, which might be a survival tactic that backfires for the whole body.