Fasting Insulin and HOMA-IR
A fasting insulin test measures insulin after an 8–12 hour fast. Read with glucose and other tests, it helps a clinician assess insulin resistance.
A fasting insulin test measures the insulin in your blood after an 8–12 hour fast, and used with other tests it helps a clinician look for insulin resistance. In insulin resistance, cells respond poorly to insulin and the pancreas may make more of it to move glucose into them.
Watch the 36-second version
Fasting insulin moves years before fasting glucose does.
Transcript & sources → All videosMr. Age is AgeGen's editorial character. Facts come from the protocol above.
The biomarker
- Name: Fasting Insulin + HOMA-IR
- Units: µU/mL; HOMA-IR unitless
- Standard reference range: laboratory-specific — read insulin, and any HOMA-IR score your report includes, against the range printed on your lab report (ranges vary by lab).
How to read your result
| Pattern | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| With glucose | Insulin and blood glucose normally rise and fall together, so the insulin result is read alongside glucose. |
| Above the lab's range | Can be seen with insulin resistance, where the pancreas makes more insulin to help glucose into cells. The test is used with other tests, not alone. |
| HOMA-IR | If your report includes a HOMA-IR score, read it only against that laboratory's range and ask your clinician what it means for you. |
| Main use | The test's main use is finding the cause of low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). |
What moves the needle
- Preparation. Fast 8 to 12 hours before the draw, or as your lab instructs.
- Testing. Ask your clinician which other tests to read it with.
Why this test is worth asking for
- It measures how much insulin is in your blood after a fast — one of the inputs a clinician uses, with other tests, to assess insulin resistance.
- Because insulin and glucose normally move together, reading the two side by side is what gives the insulin number its context.
Related protocols
- Urine ACR — Albumin-to-Creatinine Kidney Marker
- Uric Acid — Metabolic + Gout Marker
- SHBG — Sex Hormone Binding Globulin
Sources
AgeGen lab guides are educational only. We do not provide medical diagnosis, prescribe brands, or recommend specific doses. Talk to a licensed clinician before changing your supplement or medication routine.
