08/26/2026
I did an interesting search on the internet today concerning the deleterious effects of insulin remaining in the bloodstream for extended periods of time... How many of the top ten reasons for death in the United States are directly connected to it?
Strongly correlated causes (7)
These have robust epidemiological, mechanistic, and clinical evidence linking them to hyperinsulinemia or insulin resistance:
Heart disease — Insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia are core features of metabolic syndrome and major drivers of atherosclerosis, hypertension, and cardiovascular events.
Cancer — Hyperinsulinemia promotes cell proliferation via insulin/IGF signaling and is associated with higher risk and mortality for several common cancers (e.g., colorectal, breast, pancreatic, liver).
Stroke — Closely tied to the same cardiometabolic pathways as heart disease.
Alzheimer’s disease — Strongly linked to brain insulin resistance (sometimes called “type 3 diabetes”); hyperinsulinemia impairs amyloid clearance and contributes to tau pathology and neurodegeneration.
Diabetes — Hyperinsulinemia is a defining compensatory response in the development of type 2 diabetes (the vast majority of diabetes deaths).
Kidney disease — Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia contribute to diabetic kidney disease and the progression of chronic kidney disease more broadly.
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis — Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD/NAFLD) and its progression to cirrhosis are tightly driven by insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia; this is now a leading cause of liver-related deaths.
