Dr Rangan Chatterjee

You May Never Eat Sugar Again! – How To Reverse Diabetes & Prevent Early Death | Dr. David Unwin

This episode is brought to you by: Ketone IQ: Save 30% OFF your subscription order PLUS get a free gift with your second shipment https://ketone.com/livemore. Bon Charge: Save 20% off all Bon Charge products with code LIVEMORE https://boncharge.com/livemore The Way app: Get 30 FREE sessions and begin your journey towards peace, calm and wellbeing. https://thewayapp.com/livemore If you have ever struggled with your weight, low energy, pre-diabetes or even type 2 diabetes, this is a conversation that could change your life. Dr David Unwin is an NHS GP who not only put his own type 2 diabetes into drug free remission, he has also helped over 150 patients do the same in a standard UK general practice – with ordinary people, on ordinary budgets, using food and lifestyle. It’s estimated that around 7/8ths of the adult population are metabolically unhealthy, which means that only a tiny minority of us are truly metabolically well. And this is a serious issue because poor metabolic health is one of the root cause drivers of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes, Alzheimer’s and many forms of cancer. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why I co-founded Do Health https://drchatterjee.com/do-health/ - a personalised health companion, powered by your individual biology and lifestyle - as a way of helping people improve their metabolic health early, well before they get sick in the future. In this week’s episode, we cover: ● The early signs of poor metabolic health, and why symptoms like fatigue, belly fat and brain fog are often overlooked. ● Why many issues we see as ‘normal ageing’ are actually signs of insulin resistance. ● How David himself reversed his own type 2 diabetes and, at the same time, improved his mood, energy and cognition. ● How reducing starchy carbohydrates if you have metabolic dys-regulation can dramatically improve blood sugar control ● Why so many of us struggle with bread, pasta, and ultra processed foods – and how food addiction may be silently driving our behaviour. ● The two women who helped David rethink everything he thought he knew about food, hope and healing ● And why it’s never too late to work on your metabolic health and why doing so can change every aspect of your life. One of the things I love most about David is his passion. He really is someone who genuinely wants to improve the health and lives of his patients and our hope is this conversation empowers you to make small changes that will improve your blood sugar, weight, energy, and ultimately, your future. #feelbetterlivemore Connect with Dr Unwin: Website https://www.dietdoctor.com/authors/dr-david-unwin Twitter https://twitter.com/lowcarbGP Dr Unwin resources: Teaspoon sugar infographics https://phcuk.org/sugar/ #feelbetterlivemore #feelbetterlivemorepodcast ------- Order MAKE CHANGE THAT LASTS. US & Canada version https://amzn.to/3RyO3SL, UK version https://amzn.to/3Kt5rUK ----- Follow Dr Chatterjee at: Website: https://drchatterjee.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchatterjee Twitter: https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Newsletter: https://drchatterjee.com/subscription DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

RCDr. Rangan Chatterjeehost

Jan 14, 2026·2h 15m·Watch on YouTube ↗

📖 CHAPTERS

1. 1

   Early warning signs of insulin resistance and declining metabolic health

   Dr. Unwin explains that type 2 diabetes is the end-stage of years of worsening metabolic health, often missed because symptoms look unrelated. He shares his own early signs—fatigue after meals, belly gain, brain fog, low mood, and “frettiness”—and links them to insulin resistance.

2. 2

   From burned-out GP to revitalized patient: Unwin’s personal turnaround

   Unwin describes being unwell in his mid-50s while running a large practice, assuming his symptoms were normal aging. After dietary change, he reports dramatic improvements: running regularly, normal blood pressure, no medications, and renewed energy and purpose.

3. 3

   A patient confrontation that changed everything: “Starch is sugar”

   A long-term patient stopped metformin due to diarrhea and independently achieved drug-free remission by cutting not only sugar but starchy carbs. Her anger—and her results—forced Unwin to rethink standard diabetes care and acknowledge patients were finding effective solutions outside the system.

4. 4

   Why GPs feel stuck: prescribing treadmill and loss of purpose

   Unwin reflects on dissatisfaction in conventional chronic disease management—adding medications as patients worsen. He highlights the scale of the epidemic in his own practice (57 to 600 cases of type 2 diabetes) and how this catalyzed a search for upstream causes.

5. 5

   A practical diabetes consult: lifestyle vs lifelong medication (true informed consent)

   Unwin outlines how he frames a new type 2 diabetes diagnosis: explain the A1c, insulin resistance, and then explicitly offer a choice—lifestyle change or lifelong medication. Chatterjee contrasts this with typical “meds-first” messaging and they argue informed consent is ethically missing in routine prescribing.

6. 6

   Identifying sugar sources: CGMs, food triggers, and “teaspoons of sugar” visuals

   Using a patient (“Dan,” A1c 96), Unwin shows how identifying blood-glucose triggers can rapidly guide dietary change. He popularized translating glycemic load into “teaspoons of sugar equivalents” (e.g., rice, potatoes, chips, bananas) to make carbohydrate impact intuitive.

7. 7

   How low-carb works in the modern world: insulin, dual-fuel metabolism, and keto transition

   Unwin explains the “dual fuel engine” concept: humans burn sugar or fat, but high insulin blocks fat burning. Low-carb (and keto) lowers insulin, enabling fat burning and often reducing hunger—though a short adaptation period (“keto flu”) can occur.

8. 8

   Evolution, ‘perpetual autumn,’ and why modern availability changes the rules

   They discuss ancestral eating patterns and seasonal carbohydrate intake, arguing modern food availability keeps people in a constant “fattening season.” Unwin uses this to explain why many can’t tolerate high-carb diets today, especially when most adults are metabolically unhealthy.

9. 9

   Real-world NHS outcomes: remission rates, risk markers, and cost savings

   Unwin shares audited results from his cash-strapped NHS practice, showing substantial remission and improvement rates with low-carb support. He also reports major medication cost savings and improved cardiovascular and kidney markers, addressing common clinician concerns.

10. 10

    Timing matters: prediabetes reversal and better odds with earlier intervention

    Unwin emphasizes that metabolic ‘age’ matters more than chronological age: earlier action yields higher reversal/remission rates. Prediabetes responds especially well, and newly diagnosed diabetes has higher remission rates than long-standing disease.

11. 11

    Controversy, guidelines, and clinician resistance: why curiosity matters

    They recount professional pushback, guideline rigidity, and how evidence can be dismissed when it conflicts with recommendations. Unwin argues guidelines are not tramlines, medical training undervalues scientific method, and burnout reduces curiosity—hurting patients who achieve improvements.

12. 12

    Food addiction and ultra-processed foods: maintenance ‘magic sauce’

    Unwin and Chatterjee explore controversial but clinically evident “food addiction,” especially to ultra-processed carbs. Unwin shares striking patient examples and argues addiction framing is essential for long-term maintenance, noting emerging prevalence and diabetes-risk data and highlighting his wife Jen’s research.

13. 13

    Practical living: what Unwin eats, fasting flexibility, family adoption, and budget solutions

    Unwin details his current low-carb/keto routine (typically two meals, no breakfast), how being a ‘fat burner’ helps with travel and temptation, and how his family transitioned via better recipes and autonomy. He also addresses affordability with budgeting realism, frozen foods, and free tools like the Fresh Well app.

14. 14

    Prevention redesign: policy levers, better testing, and safer rollouts

    They end by arguing prevention must be upstream—beyond medicine into policy and environment. Unwin proposes taxing ultra-processed foods and subsidizing local whole foods, restricting fast-food outlet proliferation, improving informed-consent time for lifelong meds, and adding earlier metabolic tests like fasting insulin.