Dr. Ford Brewer MD MPH · 2026-07-02 · Ford Brewer (host), Jesus Vega, Tom, Mark, James, Scape, Emily, Quinn, Stan, George
Don't Eat Junk Your Body Can't Handle
31 research-tied claims examined: 4 contradicted 2 overstated 4 context 16 supported 5 unverified
5 No source found (not proven false)
NHANES survey data shows that over half of 18-year-olds in the US have some degree of insulin resistance.
"The NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was part of that survey, the census survey, looked and did testing and it found, hey, it's not 60-year-olds that have this problem. Yes, as you get older it's more common, but even at age 18, 18 years old, over half of us already have some degree of insulin resistance, and it gets worse every year." (said at 0:06:20)
No published record matching the claim that NHANES survey data shows over half of 18-year-olds in the United States have insulin resistance was located; this does not prove the claim false.
By age 60, the majority of adults have some degree of insulin resistance.
"And most people can't handle these foods because by our 60s, most of us already have some degree of insulin resistance." (said at 0:06:58)
No published record matching the claim that the majority of adults have some degree of insulin resistance by age 60 was located; this does not prove the claim false.
The 2025 USDA dietary guidelines state that individuals with certain chronic diseases may experience improved health outcomes when following a low carbohydrate diet.
"Here's what the guidelines 2025—I guess they came out this year. It says, "Individuals with certain chronic diseases may experience improved health outcomes when following a low carbohydrate diet. Work with your health care professional to identify and adopt a diet that is appropriate for you and your health condition."" (said at 0:30:14)
No published record matching the claim that the 2025 USDA dietary guidelines state that individuals with certain chronic diseases may experience improved health outcomes when following a low carbohydrate diet was located; this does not prove the claim false.
Infection-induced cortisol elevation typically raises blood sugar to 120-130 mg/dL for three to fifteen days.
"And I think the big issue is cortisol. Why are you having cortisol? Because you had an infection. To your point, how long does that uh should you see these 120s and 130s? And it's it's impossible to predict. It's usually not going to be a month, but it's usually anywhere from three to 15 days." (said at 1:15:36)
No published record matching the claim that infection-induced cortisol elevation typically raises blood glucose to 120-130 mg/dL for three to fifteen days was located; this does not prove the claim false. While acute infection triggers neuroendocrine stress responses—including cortisol and catecholamine release leading to stress-induced hyperglycemia—the magnitude and duration of glycemic elevation vary widely according to the severity of illness and individual metabolic factors, rather than following a defined 3- to 15-day timeframe or specific 120-130 mg/dL concentration range.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can raise blood glucose to 120-140 mg/dL in fat-adapted individuals through cortisol and epinephrine secretion.
"quite often when you're fat-adapted, even just some HIIT training will crank that blood sugar up to 120, 130, 140... whether it's from dawn-effect-related cortisol or from HIIT-training-related cortisol and epinephrine" (said at 1:17:05)
No published record matching the claim that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) raises blood glucose to 120-140 mg/dL in fat-adapted individuals through cortisol and epinephrine secretion was located; this does not prove the claim false.
Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.