Are Mood Disorders Actually Metabolic Diseases Rooted in Insulin Resistance?

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bipolar disorder and depression affect tens of millions globally, long treated as strictly brain-based illnesses, yet both consistently show high rates of insulin resistance and metabolic disturbances
A 2025 Nature Neuroscience study found that pancreatic insulin release and hippocampal activity are linked through a circadian feedback loop. This suggests bipolar mood shifts arise from disrupted metabolism, not brain chemistry alone
Earlier research in 2022 showed lithium stabilizes mood partly by restoring insulin signaling, while a clinical trial found metformin improved both insulin sensitivity and psychiatric symptoms in treatment-resistant bipolar depression patients
Insulin resistance is extremely widespread, with around 40% of Americans affected, driven by refined sugars, seed oils, stress, sleep loss, and environmental exposures that disrupt the body's natural energy regulation
Supporting insulin sensitivity involves stepwise changes, replacing damaged fats and ultraprocessed foods, introducing gut-friendly carbs and fibers gradually, managing stress, improving sleep, and staying active to stabilize both metabolic and mental health

Transcript

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0:00.0	What if the mood swings you battle aren't primarily in your head, but signals from your metabolism telling you insulin isn't getting through?
0:08.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:11.0	Stay informed with quick, easy to listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go.
0:16.0	No reading required. Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:21.6	Hello, and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. I'm Ethan Foster, and today we're
0:26.6	exploring whether mood disorders like bipolar disorder and major depression are, at their core,
0:32.6	metabolic diseases tied to insulin resistance.
0:35.6	I'm Alara Sky. You'll hear how new findings connect pancreatic insulin release with activity in mood-related
0:42.3	brain regions, why insulin resistance is so common, and what practical steps help you restore
0:48.3	insulin sensitivity in a steady, sustainable way.
0:52.3	Let's start with the scale of the problem.
0:55.0	Bipolar disorder impacts more than 37 million people,
0:59.0	and close to 4% of the global population experiences major depression.
1:04.0	These conditions are usually framed as brain-only issues,
1:08.0	chemical imbalances or faulty circuits, yet insulin resistance keeps showing
1:12.6	up alongside them. That overlap suggests your mental health and your metabolic health move
1:17.8	together more than most models admit.
1:19.6	Insulin is not just a blood sugar hormone. It's a master signal. Your pancreas releases it.
1:26.6	It binds to receptors on your cells, and that unlocks
1:29.8	channels so glucose can enter and power everything from your thoughts to your muscle contractions.
1:36.0	After you eat, insulin rises quickly to keep glucose in a safe range and to refill stored energy
1:42.3	as glycogen. When that signaling falters, the ripple effects
	...

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