What Causes Skin Tags? The Link Between Diet, Insulin, and Metabolic Health | EP 392.A

Summary

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

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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.

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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.

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

Transcript

[A]

You know, those little bumps on your neck, underarms or eyelids or down in your groin aren't random. And they're not just cosmetic annoyances. Skin tags are actually your body quietly signaling there's something deeper, often metabolic, that is probably out of balance. So if you're experiencing skin tags like I did then and thought it was perfectly normal, you don't want to miss this episode about what they are and how to fix them.

[B]

Stay tuned. Doctor Gundry here.

[A]

I want to give a big thanks to all of you who are listening to my podcast right now. To show my thanks, we're giving listeners the chance to win free Gundry MD Products formulas designed to support gut health, inflammation, energy and healthy aging. Here's all you need to do. Leave a positive review for this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Then take a screenshot of your review and email it to podcastrgundry.com that's it. You'll be entered for a chance to win a free prize that can help support your health from the inside out. So don't overthink it. Leave a review, send the screenshot, and you could be our next winner.

[B]

Does everybody know what a skin tag is? These are little growths of skin which are, quote, harmless. They're benign. And many of you, as you age, somehow these little guys begin to pop up, often on our neck, often in our armpits, often in our groin. And they're benign. And it's kind of just a part of aging. And you go to the dermatologist and the dermatologist says, oh, yeah, that's a skin tag. Here, let me zap it or cut it off and don't worry about it, it's not a cancer. And have a nice day. Why should we be worried about that? Well, I'll tell you a personal experience that might get your attention. When I was a heart surgeon in my 30s and 40s, I actually began getting a lot of skin tags. And yes, I had them kind of on base of my neck. I had them in my armpits and I had them in my groin. And, you know, I have them burned off and be told, yeah, no big deal, you're getting older. Imagine while I was a surgeon operating on my patients, that a great number of my patients who I was operating on for heart disease, for coronary artery disease had skin tags just like me. And I go, gee, that's interesting. It really is common, isn't it? Everybody's got them. Well, not so fast. Thirty years ago, when I put myself on what is now the plant paradox, program after meeting Big Ed, who changed my life. And I lost 50 pounds in my first year. One of the first things that happened was my skin tags dried up like a prune and fell off every last one of them. And I went, what the heck is that? Well, about that same time, I began measuring my fasting insulin level in both myself and all my patients. We didn't know back then, but insulin and fasting insulin level is probably one of the best ways to track your metabolic flexibility or metabolic resistance or insulin resistance. And when I first measured my fasting insulin level, it was 16. Now, that doesn't mean much to anybody, but most of us are now convinced that a fasting insulin level should be well under 10 and preferably under 6. So why is that important? It turns out that insulin is actually a growth hormone and it makes things grow. So when I had a high fasting insulin level, my insulin was actually feeding the growth of portions of my skin and they were growing as little polyps. Skin tags. When I went on my program, my insulin level fell to about two or three and has stayed that way ever since. My wife's fasting insulin level is less than 1, but I haven't had a skin tag in 30 years. And what's really exciting is that when I have patients with skin tags, 100% of them 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. Why? Because you're no longer stimulating these things to grow.

[C]

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[D]

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[B]

okay, so everybody wants to have their skin tags fall off, right? Sounds like a really good idea. But the important thing to remember is if those skin tags are growing because insulin is stimulating their growth, what else is there in you that you might not want to stimulate to grow? One of the things I've seen now in 30 years is that it's amazing how many people with elevated insulin levels during their colonoscopy are found to have polyps. And if you think about it, 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. So to me, it's no wonder that when people report polyps in their colon that they have an elevated insulin level. And part of my program with my patients who do have colon polyps is to lower their insulin levels and interestingly enough, their polyps don't return. So there's a direct connection in my practice and others between insulin levels and growing things that you don't want to grow. Now I also measure another growth hormone in my practice in my patients called insulin like growth factor. It's called IGF1. It's called insulin like growth factor because it too also makes things grow. Now when we're young we have very high insulin like growth factors. They typically run 250 or up to 400 if you look at super old people, late 90s, early 1/ hundreds who are thriving. And I get to study a lot of these people in my practice. They typically run insulin like growth factors of 50 to 70. So I and others are pretty convinced that as we age, lowering insulin like growth factor is probably a really good thing because as I tell any of my patients, there is nothing in us once we reach adulthood that we want to grow. And cancer cells love to be stimulated by insulin, love to be stimulated by insulin like growth factor. And in fact sadly I've seen a very strong correlation between people who have cancer and elevated insulin like growth factors and elevated insulin levels. And part of the program for my cancer patients is to dramatically lower insulin like growth factor and insulin levels. So how do you do that? Well, there's three basic factors that stimulate insulin production and insulin like growth factor. The first is pretty obvious. Sugars or things that turn into sugar. And for many people simple carbohydrates, not sugar on the label, are just as good at elevating insulin levels and insulin like growth factor as simple sugar number two. And this has been worked out in many human studies. Animal protein and even a fish is an animal, even a chicken is an animal, even an egg is an animal raises insulin like growth factor. Studies at Saint Louis University looking at calorie restricted individuals, changing them over from a western type calorie restricted diet to a vegan equal protein calorie restricted diet showed dramatic drops in insulin like growth factor one. And I see that all the time in my patients that substituting plant based proteins for animal based proteins lowers insulin like growth factor time restricted eating time controlled eating, compressing eating windows between the time you start eating in the morning or noon and the time you finish eating in the evening. And the magic window of eating seems to be between six to eight hours a day. Now in all my books I give a simple way of not just diving in and suddenly only eating six hours a day. Most people fall off the cliff. 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. And the good news is the more you do that, the more you'll watch your skin tags dry up and fall off. And the more you'll impress your gastroenterologist that all of a sudden, hey, you used to have polyps and huh, now you don't. Wow. And they won't ask what you're doing. But quite frankly the drama that you'll experience the first time one of your skin tags dries up and falls off, that's enough to make anybody pay attention. Because again, if those things 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 by following the simple rules of the Plant Paradox program. So that's the good news, that's the exciting news. And please never think of a skin tag as something that eh, it's an annoyance and I'll just get it burned off. You want it to fall off.

[A]

Now it's time for the Question of the week. This question comes from Instagram, who wishes to stay anonymous? He said, I've been trying out your carnivore diet which is the chicken in the sea and having great results. But does grass fed ghee have neu 5 GC? I've heard you say it's okay, but curious about that sugar molecule. Well, the great news is that 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. Great question. Now it's time for the Review of the week. This review comes from @Legacy with Purpose 6634 on my YouTube short about if eggs are a health trigger. They said pasture raised eggs, chicken pasture raised, grass fed and wild fish. Thank you Dr. Gundry and lots of love and thanks emojis. Well, thank you. I just want everyone to realize you are what you eat, but just as importantly, you are what the thing you're eating ate.

[E]

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[F]

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[G]

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[D]

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