The Dr. Gundry Podcast

Episode: What Causes Skin Tags? The Link Between Diet, Insulin, and Metabolic Health | EP 392.A
Release Date: February 25, 2026
Host: Dr. Steven Gundry

Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Dr. Gundry delves into the surprising science behind skin tags—those seemingly harmless bumps that often appear with age. He connects skin tags to deeper metabolic issues, particularly insulin resistance, and explains how making key changes to your diet and eating patterns can reverse these signs. Through personal anecdotes, patient experiences, and research, Dr. Gundry illustrates how skin health is a visible indicator of internal metabolic flexibility, and offers actionable advice to improve metabolic health and reduce risk factors for chronic disease.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Skin Tags as a Metabolic Signal (01:27–05:24)

• Description and Prevalence:
  Dr. Gundry explains what skin tags are—benign, small growths commonly found on the neck, armpits, and groin. While often dismissed as a normal part of aging, he argues they are an outward sign of internal metabolic stress, especially linked to insulin levels.
• Personal Experience:
  • Dr. Gundry recounts:

    "When I was a heart surgeon in my 30s and 40s, I actually began getting a lot of skin tags...I had them burned off and be told, yeah, no big deal, you're getting older." (02:01)

  • The turning point came when he lost 50 pounds on his Plant Paradox program, after which his skin tags dried up and fell off. This coincided with a drop in his fasting insulin level from 16 to 2–3.
• The Role of Insulin:
  • Insulin is described as a "growth hormone" promoting the development of skin tags.
  • Elevated fasting insulin is now recognized as a marker of poor metabolic health and insulin resistance.

Notable Quote:

"100% of [my patients] with skin tags have an elevated fasting insulin level. And 100% of them, when their fasting insulin level falls, one of the first things they notice is that their skin tags dry up and miraculously fall off." (04:30)

2. Beyond Skin: Polyps and the Gut Connection (06:49–09:40)

• Insulin and Polyp Growth:
  Dr. Gundry draws a parallel between skin tags and polyps in the colon, explaining both are types of benign growths driven by elevated insulin.

  "Polyps are just skin tags on the lining of your gut. And just remember, the lining of your gut is your skin turned inside out." (07:30)

• Cancer Risk:
  Dr. Gundry notes that higher insulin and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) not only stimulate benign growths but are also correlated with an increased risk of cancer:

  "Cancer cells love to be stimulated by insulin, love to be stimulated by insulin like growth factor... I've seen a very strong correlation between people who have cancer and elevated insulin like growth factors and elevated insulin levels." (09:20)

3. How to Reduce Insulin and IGF-1 (09:41–12:46)

Dr. Gundry outlines three primary ways to reduce insulin and IGF-1, helping reverse the metabolic drivers behind skin tags and other unwanted growths:

• 1. Reduce Sugar and Simple Carbohydrates:
  • Not just "sugar" on food labels, but all foods quickly converted into glucose.
• 2. Limit Animal Protein:
  • "Animal protein—even a fish is an animal, even a chicken is an animal, even an egg is an animal—raises insulin like growth factor."
    (10:25)
  • He cites a study where switching from a calorie-restricted Western diet to a vegan, equal-protein, calorie-restricted diet led to a dramatic drop in IGF-1.
• 3. Time-Restricted Eating:
  • Compressing the eating window to 6–8 hours per day lowers fasting insulin.
  • "The more you compress your eating window, the lower your fasting insulin level goes and the lower your insulin like growth factor goes." (11:23)

Actionable Advice:
Dr. Gundry emphasizes gradual changes to eating windows instead of abrupt restrictions and advocates for plant-based protein sources as a way to improve metabolic health.

Notable Quote:

"If those [skin tags] are growing, there's other things in you that are growing. So yes, skin tags are benign, but skin tags are a visible sign that something is radically wrong with your metabolism. And the good news is it's fixable." (12:08)

4. Listener Q&A: On Grass-Fed Ghee and Neu5Gc (12:47–14:16)

• A listener asks if grass-fed ghee contains Neu5Gc, a sugar molecule of concern for some health-conscious eaters.
• Dr. Gundry clarifies:

  "Grass fed ghee does not have any neu5gc because neu5gc is a sugar molecule and while it is present in milk when you extract all of the sugar and proteins and leave only fat, the neu5gc is gone." (13:07)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Skin Tags as an Alarm:
  "They're not just cosmetic annoyances. Skin tags are actually your body quietly signaling there's something deeper...that is probably out of balance." (00:04)
• On Metabolism:
  "There is nothing in us once we reach adulthood that we want to grow." (09:04)
• On Personal Transformation:
  "One of the first things that happened [after changing my diet] was my skin tags dried up like a prune and fell off every last one of them." (02:39)
• On Dietary Change:
  "Substituting plant based proteins for animal based proteins lowers insulin like growth factor." (10:40)
• On Eating Windows:
  "That's not what you need to do. But the more you compress your eating window, the lower your fasting insulin level goes and the lower your insulin like growth factor goes." (11:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:27: Introduction to skin tags and their connection to deeper health issues.
• 01:27–05:24: Dr. Gundry’s personal story and the link between skin tags and insulin.
• 06:49–09:40: Polyps, cancer risk, and insulin-like growth factor.
• 09:41–12:46: Three ways to reduce insulin and IGF-1 levels.
• 12:47–14:16: Listener Q&A: Grass-fed ghee and Neu5Gc.

Conclusion

Dr. Gundry makes a compelling case for paying attention to skin tags as a meaningful sign of metabolic health, directly tied to insulin and IGF-1 levels. By adopting a diet lower in sugars and animal proteins and practicing time-restricted eating, individuals can not only improve their internal metabolic flexibility but also notice tangible changes—like the disappearance of skin tags. He encourages listeners to see these visible markers as a sign to take action for their whole-body health.

Note: This summary skips advertising and promotional segments and focuses exclusively on the main episode content.