These Men Ate 6,000 Calories a Day for Science

The researchers were interested in learning how obesity triggers insulin resistance, a condition in which the body's cells stop responding to the hormone insulin. Because insulin helps blood sugar get inside cells, insulin resistance leads to a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream, and can cause type 2 diabetes. Scientists have a number of theories for why obesity leads to insulin resistance, including that obesity increases fatty acids in the blood, or promotes inflammation.