Why Your Metabolism Isn’t the Problem | EP 402.B

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Dr. Gundry Podcast

Episode: Why Your Metabolism Isn’t the Problem | EP 402.B
Air Date: May 14, 2026
Host: Dr. Steven Gundry (PodcastOne)

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Episode Overview

In this myth-busting episode, Dr. Steven Gundry challenges the commonly held beliefs surrounding metabolism and weight loss perpetuated by doctors, family, and health media. He asserts that most explanations blaming a "slow metabolism" on genetics, hormones, or aging are misguided. Instead, Dr. Gundry emphasizes the key role of gut health, food choices, and lifestyle factors—especially mitochondrial uncoupling—in regulating energy and body weight. The episode centers around a detailed, point-by-point takedown of a WebMD list promoting metabolism myths, offering science-backed alternatives and practical advice for listeners ready to heal at the root cause.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Debunking Metabolism Myths (00:05 - 18:17)

Dr. Gundry goes through 15 myths from a popular WebMD article, clarifying misconceptions and explaining what really affects your metabolism:

• Genetics (01:28)

  • Myth: Your metabolism is slow because of your genes.
  • Dr. Gundry: "Your parents and your genes did not tell you how to turn food into energy. That's actually a part of what your gut microbiome is doing and the types of foods that you're eating." (01:39)
  • Ultra-processed foods rather than genetics slow your metabolism by hindering mitochondrial energy production.

• Hormones (02:18)

  • Myth: Hormonal shifts, like menopause or stress, slow metabolism.
  • Real issue is microbiome changes during menopause, not hormones themselves. Stress hormones like cortisol don’t cause weight gain: "Cortisol, the so called stress hormone that makes you gain weight, has absolutely no effect on weight gain and your metabolism." (02:40)

• Sleep (04:05)

  • Lack of sleep leads to food cravings for carbs, not directly a slower metabolism: "If you don't get good sleep, you will seek out high sugar calorie foods. And that is what's going to prompt your weight gain, not the slowing of your metabolism." (04:11)

• Caloric Restriction (Strict Dieting) (04:39)

  • Myth: Eating too little slows your metabolism.
  • Reality: "That's been shown over and over again that you suddenly don't slow down if you don't eat enough. In fact, some of my people who gain so much weight are supposedly not eating enough." (04:51)
  • What's often overlooked is the type—not the amount—of food driving weight gain.

• Salt, Water, and Iodine (05:30 - 07:03)

  • Iodine deficiency (due to trendy salts lacking iodine) can slow metabolism; switch to iodized sea salt (05:41).
  • Too much water can dilute vital minerals, harming your metabolism; too much salt drives hunger (06:00).
  • "You want the thermogenic effect of cold water" to boost calorie burning (05:59).

• Coffee and Tea (07:03)

  • "Polyphenols in coffee and tea... are what are going to produce a higher metabolic rate." (07:13)
  • Caffeine is beneficial, but even decaf boosts metabolism; jitters aren’t obligatory.

• Calcium (08:03)

  • Dairy and OJ are not good calcium sources—cause sugar spikes: "Glass of orange juice has more sugar in it than a candy bar." (08:21)
  • Suggestion: Source calcium from leafy greens, canned salmon—not supplements.

• Room Temperature and Longevity (08:54)

  • "Exposure to cold... uncouples your mitochondria. And when you uncouple your mitochondria your energy rate goes up, your metabolic rate goes up." (09:03)
  • Lower home temperatures may promote longevity.

• Medications (12:13)

  • Certain drugs (antidepressants, beta-blockers) can impair energy by reducing melatonin, vital for mitochondrial function.
  • Being on medications—especially beta blockers—may be a root cause of low energy (12:22).

• Carbohydrates (13:22)

  • Myth: Your body needs carbs to make insulin.
  • "Your body makes insulin to handle all those crazy carbohydrates... insulin should be low." (14:02)
  • High fasting insulin is a warning sign for metabolic issues.

• Circadian Rhythm and Meal Timing (14:47)

  • Night shifts and skipping meals can elevate insulin and predispose to obesity—due to disrupted circadian rhythm.
  • "Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day..." (15:55)
  • Skipping breakfast may actually improve metabolism and longevity, per modern studies.

• Fat and Insulin Resistance (17:36)

  • Fats aren’t the enemy—right fats help break insulin resistance. Processed carbs and proteins are often the real culprits.

Memorable Quote:
"Is it any wonder that we are so confused about the advice of healthy eating when even a trusted source like WebMD is about 180 degrees wrong from the science?" (18:17)

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2. Dr. Gundry’s Two Core Methods to Boost Metabolism (18:17 - 20:26)

• Time-Controlled Eating / Intermittent Fasting
  • "It's one of the easiest ways to do it." (18:22)
• High Polyphenol Foods and Mitochondrial Uncoupling
  • Coffee, tea, and other polyphenol-rich foods are 'thermogenic' and promote uncoupled mitochondria for higher energy expenditure.
  • Real-life success story:
    • "It was great to hear two people who I'd never met... come up and say, boy, does uncoupling mitochondria work. And it'll work for you." (20:13)

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3. Listener Q&A and Practical Advice (20:26 - 21:49)

• Q: Can I drink Celsius energy drink instead of coffee/tea in ketosis?
  • A: Contains sucralose, an artificial sweetener that harms gut microbiome: "This stuff kills good gut bacteria." (21:12)
  • Suggestion: "Find yourself another drink... green tea, iced tea, sparkling water..." (21:16)

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4. Success Testimonial & Takeaway (21:49 - 22:21)

• Listener Penny shares six years following the lectin-free approach led to 25 pounds of weight loss and improved wellbeing.
• Dr. Gundry notes: "One of the side effects of following this program is usually weight loss. But the most important part is... you can really tell when you stray off for a while and you realize I'm not feeling as good as I was before." (22:08)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ultra-Processed Foods:
  "Ultra processed foods literally cause a backup at rush hour in the way your mitochondria take the food you eat and turn it into energy." (01:39)

• On Cortisol and Weight Gain:
  "Cortisol, the so called stress hormone that makes you gain weight, has absolutely no effect on weight gain and your metabolism." (02:40)

• On Skipping Breakfast:
  "Break fast is the worst meal of the day. And the more you skip breakfast and have breakfast at lunch, you watch your metabolism go through the roof." (16:22)

• On the Science vs. Common Advice:
  "Is it any wonder that we are so confused about the advice of healthy eating when even a trusted source like WebMD is about 180 degrees wrong from the science?" (18:17)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05 – Introduction & Overview of Metabolic Myths
• 01:28 – Debunking genes as metabolism’s primary driver
• 02:18 – Hormones, thyroid, cortisol, and true causes
• 04:05 – Sleep quality, food cravings, and metabolism
• 04:39 – Calorie restriction and real causes of weight gain
• 05:30 – Salt, iodine, and water myths
• 07:03 – Coffee, tea, polyphenols, and caffeine
• 08:03 – Dairy/calcium: dangers of sugar masquerading as health food
• 08:54 – Home temperature, cold exposure, and longevity
• 12:13 – Medication effects, melatonin, and metabolism
• 13:22 – Carbohydrates, fasting insulin, and metabolic health
• 14:47 – Circadian rhythm, meal timing, breakfast myth
• 17:36 – The truth about fats, insulin resistance
• 18:17 – Two strategies to “rip your metabolism”: fasting and polyphenols
• 20:26 – Listener Q&A: artificial sweeteners and energy drinks
• 21:49 – Listener success story and personal experience

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Final Takeaway

Dr. Gundry urges listeners to shift focus from blaming metabolism on unchangeable factors to optimizing gut health, food choices (especially polyphenol-rich items), intermittent fasting, and mitochondrial health. He emphasizes that major health outlets often perpetuate myths, but real science points toward practical, achievable interventions. Following these principles can deliver weight loss, energy, and overall well-being—at any age.

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Transcript

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

You're not able to lose weight because you have a slow metabolism. Or, tough luck, your whole family has horribly sluggish metabolism and you'll never have a healthy one. Or welcome to menopause. A slower metabolism is part of the change. Any of these sound familiar? Well, today we're gonna do one of my favorite styles of discussion, myth busting. Because there's a good chance that everything Your well meaning MDs and family members have told you about your metabolism is wrong. For example, a slow metabolism isn't caused by eating too little or not exercising enough. But before diving right in, let's discuss what the heck metabolism is anyhow and its true function. Okay, ready for some myth busting? I printed a list of reasons WebMD says you have a slow metabolism. We'll run down the list one by one and I'll explain why this simply isn't true. Plus, I'll share two methods to fix a slow metabolism that work no matter your age. Okay, so this is from WebMD. Number one, your genes. Metabolism is how your body changes food into energy.

If your body is slow at burning

calories while you rest or sleep, you probably got that from your parents through your genes. I got news for you. Your parents and your genes did not

tell you how to turn food into energy. That's actually a part of what your gut microbiome is doing and the types of foods that you're eating. As I explained in the energy paradox, ultra processed foods literally cause a backup at rush hour in the way your mitochondria take the food you eat and turn it into energy. So the more processed foods that you eat, it's guaranteed to slow your metabolism, not the genes that your parents gave you.

Number two, hormones. A shift in your hormones can put the brakes on your body's energy use. That can make you feel tired. Some conditions, like an underactive or overactive thyroid and diabetes, are hormonal diseases that affect your metabolism. Stress also releases hormones that contribute a slowdown. Well, first of all, as you've heard

me write in the Energy paradox, cortisol, the so called stress hormone that makes you gain weight, has absolutely no effect on weight gain and your metabolism. In fact, the vast majority of people who tell me that they have a slow adrenal gland or they have adrenal fatigue have absolutely normal cortisol levels. I also have a number of people with high cortisol levels that are not fat, that are not sluggish, and and that is not the reason for the problem. Now, yes, if you are hypothyroid that will definitely slow your metabolic rate. And we have an epidemic of hypothyroidism in this country. A lot of it is the fact that we do not have iodine in our salt anymore.

That's an easy fix. But hormonal changes.

I have women who go through menopause that gain weight, but it's not because of hormonal changes in estrogen. It's actually because their microbiome during menopause changes dramatically. We also now know that the microbiome is responsible for making much of the hormones that drive our energy production. And you can read all about that in the Energy Paradox and Unlocking the Keto Code. Lack of sleep.

Well, lack of sleep, Good shut eye helps your metabolism stay steady.

No, that's not true. Good sleep actually stops you from becoming insulin resistant. And good sleep stops you from becoming carbohydrate hungry. If you don't get good sleep, you will seek out high sugar calorie foods. And that is what's going to prompt your weight gain, not the slowing of your metabolism.

Number four, strict diets. How you lose weight matters.

I agree with that.

If you don't eat enough, your metabolism switches to slow mo. No, that is actually not true.

That's been shown over and over again that you suddenly don't slow down if you don't eat enough. In fact, some of my people who gain so much weight are supposedly not eating enough. But when we actually look at what they're eating, they're eating the perfect combination of foods to promote weight gain. And it's not because they're eating too little.

What you can do. Make your weight loss plan realistic, not drastic. That's very true.

Weight off fast will never last. Weight off slow, you're good to go. And that's what I do in all my books.

Trendy salt.

Trendy salt is the cause of your

slow metabolism, but it lacks iodine. I finally found one that I agree with.

Iodine is critical for your metabolism. Please get iodized. Sea salt. There's so many of them out there now, they're great. Oh, I love this one. You're parched.

Without enough hto, your metabolism can stall. However, how about a tall, cool glass of water?

Now, do you really want cold water or do you want warm water? It turns out that drinking something cold will actually make you burn more calories to equilibriate your body temperature. So this idea that warm water will help you burn calories is exactly the opposite. You want the thermogenic effect of cold water, but here's the problem. The more water you drink, the more you dilute out sodium chloride, potassium, and magnesium, which are the essential minerals that drive your metabolic rate. So you can do horrible things by drinking too much water. On the other hand, studies show that having too much salt will actually drive hunger. And as anyone knows, after eating a big bowl of salty popcorn, you want a lot of water and more water. And you shouldn't be eating popcorn anyhow.

7th reason you have a low metabolism. You drink decaf coffee. But you'll miss out on the jolt of caffeine that gets your metabolic motor running.

Now, folks, as I showed in Unlocking the keto code, coffee and tea, for that matter, whether it has caffeine or not, is loaded with polyphenols. And those polyphenols in themselves are what are going to produce a higher metabolic rate. Now, if you want to add caffeine, I'm a big fan, because caffeine in itself is a mitochondrial uncoupler. But if caffeine gives you the jitters, if you notice issues with heart jitteriness,

don't worry about it.

Your decaf coffee is not slowing your metabolism down. In fact, it's actually raising your metabolic rate. Number eight, not enough calcium. You need it for more than your bones.

It's a key nutrient for a swift metabolism. Now, here's what they tell you to do. You can get calcium from milk and dairy products. You can also get it in fortified

foods such as cereals, a sugar bomb, orange juice.

Glass of orange juice has more sugar

in it than a candy bar.

So, my gosh, if you want to slow your metabolism rate down, please have some cereal, have some milk, which is pure sugar, and have some orange juice.

Again, it's the exact opposite recommendation of what you should do.

You can get plenty of calcium from green, leafy vegetables.

You can get it from, for instance, canned salmon. Don't swallow any calcium tablets.

Your thermostat is set too high. Now, we are having an energy crisis. And I'm the first to tell you that one of the things we've learned

about longevity is that people who live in longevity regions actually live in mountainous regions. And they actually live in, at least part of the year, very cold temperatures. And some of the longevity that's attributed to Americans in Minnesota, in Michigan, in northern climates in Canada is because they are existing in lower temperatures. And the exposure to cold, as you've read about in unlocking the keto code, uncouples your mitochondria. And when you uncouple your mitochondria your energy rate goes up, your metabolic rate goes up. So exposure to cold Living in cold climates is an excellent idea.

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[Dr. Steven Gundry]

The other thing is, do me a favor, don't set your thermostats too high in the winter. And for goodness sakes, at least in the winter, open the windows and bring in cold air. Your body has to drop at least a degree in temperature to stimulate good sleep. And as my wife's mother always told her, you have to sleep with a window open. And it was because to get that

drop in temperature, your medications. It's true, medications can slow your metabolism.

For instance, many people on antidepressant medications notice that they have weight gain. One of the things that I pointed out in unlocking the keto code is melatonin is incredibly important for getting your mitochondria, those energy producing organelles in all of your cells to have maximum energy efficiency and maximum production of energy. And we are very deficient in melatonin Interestingly enough, those of you on a beta blocker for high blood pressure or heart failure or coronary artery disease, beta blockers block your production of melatonin by up to 80%. So just being on a medication which is supposedly going to help you may be the cause of very low energy.

Cutting carbs.

Oh, I love this.

Sure. Easing up on unhealthy carbohydrates can help you manage your weight and burn. Burn fat faster.

That sounds like a good idea. But your body needs them to make insulin. No, your body doesn't need carbohydrates to make insulin. Your body makes insulin to handle all those crazy carbohydrates, Go low carb all

the time, and you make less of this key hormone. Yes, that's right. And that's a really good thing. But these guys say your metabolism stalls when your insulin goes low and you don't burn as many calories as you once did.

Are you kidding me? Where do they get this junk?

The number one test that I get

people to get is a fasting insulin level. And if your fasting insulin level isn't below 10 and preferably isn't below 6, you have trouble ahead in the short term. And in the long term, insulin should be low. That's showing you that you're handling the food you eat without raising insulin. And insulin, remember, is a growth hormone. And I got news for you. After teenage years, there is nothing in us. We want to grow.

Number 12, being nocturnal, catching the red eye, flight or working the night shift messes with your body's natural sleep wake cycle. These changes can lead to a sluggish

metabolism and other problems with like diabetes and obesity. Yes, that's called our circadian rhythm. And we know that shift workers and doctors who work night and nurses who work nights and laborers who work nights have dramatic alters in their metabolism. And believe it or not, it comes down to elevated insulin levels. The other thing that nocturnal workers do is they keep themselves awake with sugar. Insulin, once again, is the problem here, not necessarily the shift work number 13.

Changing meal times when you eat is as important as what you eat. Skipping meals or grabbing a bite on

the go creates metabolic jet lag.

Shifting meal times can wreak havoc on your metabolism and raise your risk of heart disease.

Folks, breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. Do we really think our ancestors crawled out of our cave and said, what's for breakfast? There wasn't any break.

Breakfast.

Breakfast actually was developed in the late 19th century during the industrial revolution in England to give Shift workers, workers, something to eat before they spent the entire

day working without a break, without lunch.

And that's where break fast comes from. Break fast is the worst meal meal of the day. And the more you skip breakfast and have breakfast at lunch, you watch your metabolism go through the roof. This was recently proven in the Italian athlete study that athletes who skipped breakfast but ate the same amount of food that athletes who ate breakfast had more weight loss and muscle, much better markers of longevity than the people who ate breakfast. So the idea that skipping meals is a bad idea doesn't jive with science.

Chronic stress, you're making more cortisol. High levels of this hormone make it harder for your body to use insulin.

That's absolutely not true. Cortisol is actually not, not the cause of weight gain. And I've been measuring Cortisol levels for 25 years in my patients. And it is not the cause of weight gain and it is not the cause of high insulin levels.

A high fat diet eating loads of fatty foods like greasy burgers and buttery goodies is never a healthy idea. It changes how your body breaks down foods and nutrients. Your body's ability to use insulin is affected too. That's called insulin resistance.

I got news for you. The right kind of fats are essential to break insulin resistance. It's the carbohydrates and often the high processed proteins that you're eating that are causing this problem, not the fats that are going along with it.

All right, so we have just debunked

15 myths from why you have a slow metabolism from WebMD. Is it any wonder that we are so confused about the advice of healthy eating when even a trusted source like WebMD is about 180 degrees degrees wrong from the science? And that's why I'm here, and that's why I'm bringing you this message. There are great ways to rip your metabolism. One of them we just mentioned is to practice time controlled eating, intermittent fasting. It's one of the easiest ways to do it. The other way is to get high poly fuel foods or supplements in your diet. For instance, like I mentioned, coffee and tea, they're called thermogenic because they actually uncouple your mitochondria. And the more you uncouple your mitochondria, the more your metabolism will soar. Just recently I taped our new public television special, Just One Thing. Two members of the audience came up to me after the show. Nice thin older couple, they said, boy, we did everything on unlocking the keto code. It was so successful that we lost so much weight that people were really worried about it. And we actually went, went and added a few things back into our diet. But they can testify that once you unlock your mitochondria, the weight falls off, your metabolic rate goes up, and that's what you're looking for. So it was great to hear two people who I'd never met, who were not my patients come up and say, boy, does uncoupling mitochondria work. And it'll work for you.

[Podcast Host / Reader]

Now it's time for the question of the week from jeffduncan9347 over on YouTube. On my episode about staying in ketosis, they asked, how about Celsius energy drink, the most prominent ones with 10 calories and 0 carbs. I hate coffee and tea, so I'm out of luck there. And here's a screen grab of ingredients in Celsius. And he sent and the, you know, stuff in there is mostly water. Good news. And it does have some citric acid, some taurange, some guarana seed extract, which happens to be caffeine, folks. Green tea extract, extra caffeine, ascorbic acid. But here's the bad news. Sucralose. Sucralose is splendor, folks.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

This stuff kills good gut bacteria.

[Podcast Host / Reader]

So find yourself another drink. Why not just have some tea? Green tea, iced tea, It'll be great. Personally, I much prefer sparkling water, but don't have Celsius. Great question. Now it's time for the review of the week from Penny Denim, who recently wrote in she said, I've been a loyal follower and family of yours for at least six years. I follow your lectin free approach and it's helped me tremendously. Unwittingly, I even lost 25 pounds and did not start your plan.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

For that reason.

[Podcast Host / Reader]

I can really tell when I stray off for a while. Well, thanks a lot, Penny. And great first name, by the way. Happens to be my wife's first name. You know, one of the side effects of following this program is usually weight loss. But the most important part of your

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

message is you can really tell when

[Podcast Host / Reader]

you stray off for a while and you realize I'm not feeling as good as I was before. So thanks for writing.

[Podcast Outro Host]

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dr. Gundry podcast. If you did, please share this with family and friends. You never know how one of these health tips can completely transform someone's life when you take the time to share it with them. There's also the Dr. Gundry Podcast YouTube channel where we have tens of thousands of free health insights that can help you and your loved ones live a long, vital life. Let's do this together.

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[Dr. Steven Gundry]

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