# 165: Type 2 Diabetes: What it is and What Causes It Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nutrition-prescription-wellness-vs-medications-5890869/165-type-2-diabetes-what-it-is-and-what-causes-it Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nutrition-prescription-wellness-vs-medications-5890869/165-type-2-diabetes-what-it-is-and-what-causes-it.md Podcast: [Nutrition Prescription: Wellness vs Medications](https://stenobird.com/podcast/nutrition-prescription-wellness-vs-medications-5890869) Published: 2026-01-12T07:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://13aeb403-5947-4882-8b33-cd63c171dd16.libsyn.com/165-type-2-diabetes-what-it-is-and-what-causes-it Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/13aeb403-5947-4882-8b33-cd63c171dd16/165_Type_2_Diabetes_-_What_It_Is_and_What_Causes_It.mp3?dest-id=3594654 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/nutrition-prescription-wellness-vs-medications-5890869/episodes/165-type-2-diabetes-what-it-is-and-what-causes-it Duration seconds: 1972 ## Resource Want to lose weight, get off medications, and finally feel great again? Check out my Essential step-by-step course that helps you get started to take control of your health using real food — not pills, not crash diets, and definitely not tons of time in the gym. You'll learn how to eat low-carb, boost your energy, and build a healthier lifestyle that actually lasts. Get signed up here before the price increase! Thrive Naturally Essentials Course In this episode, Dr. Steve breaks down type 2 diabetes in simple language and explains why almost everything we've been taught about it is backwards. He shares why insulin resistance—not "high blood sugar"—is the true root cause, how our modern food choices drive the problem, and why medications and "eat less, move more" usually make things worse instead of better. You'll learn the four key truths about insulin, glucose, and fat that can help you start reversing type 2 diabetes naturally with food and lifestyle. ​ Big picture & why this matters Why Dr. Steve went into medicine—and why he left the hospital system after 29 years—because of the misinformation around type 2 diabetes. ​ How type 2 diabetes rates have exploded worldwide and why this is tragic when the condition is preventable, reversible, and often medication-free within weeks. ​ Type 2 diabetes as an "umbrella disease" driving kidney problems, liver disease, heart disease, dementia, and more. ​ Key #1 – The true root cause The root cause of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance , not high blood sugar. ​ High blood sugar is a symptom that shows up decades after insulin resistance begins. ​ What insulin is: a hormone your body releases whenever you eat or taste something sweet to tell your body what to do with glucose. ​ What insulin does with glucose Four main jobs o… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/nutrition-prescription-wellness-vs-medications-5890869/episodes/165-type-2-diabetes-what-it-is-and-what-causes-it/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/nutrition-prescription-wellness-vs-medications-5890869/165-type-2-diabetes-what-it-is-and-what-causes-it.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.