Tired of Guessing About Your Health? Your Path to Clarity Starts with HOMA-IR
Are you insulin resistant? The HOMA-IR test is a powerful tool to determine this. Developed in 1985, the HOMA-IR test combines fasting glucose and insulin levels to give us a clear picture of how well your body responds to insulin. It's a reliable and practical test for insulin resistance and prediabetes.
What sets the HOMA-IR apart is its accessibility and reliability. Unlike complex, invasive procedures, this test needs only a blood draw. This makes it convenient for patients and practical for use in clinics. The HOMA-IR gives a clear measure of insulin resistance. It helps people and doctors spot metabolic issues early and track improvements over time. The HOMA-IR formula is as follows:
HOMA-IR = (Fasting Glucose x Fasting Insulin) / 405, where
- Fasting glucose is measured in mg/dL
- Fasting insulin is measured in μIU/mL (microinternational units per milliliter), and
- 405 is a constant that normalizes the values
If you're using mmol/L for glucose instead of mg/dL, the formula changes slightly:
HOMA-IR = (Fasting Glucose x Fasting Insulin) / 22.5, where
- Fasting glucose is measured in mmol/L
- Fasting insulin is measured in μIU/mL, and
- 22.5 is the normalizing factor for this unit of measurement
So, what's considered a healthy HOMA-IR score? Anything below 1.0. If you're above that, you're considered insulin resistant. The higher your values, the greater your insulin resistance. Conversely the lower your HOMA-IR score, the less insulin resistance you have, assuming you are not a Type 1 diabetic who makes no insulin. Insulin resistance often exists long before obvious signs of trouble, silently disrupting your body's balance and setting the stage for serious conditions later.
Incidentally, my personal HOMA-IR score is 0.2, which is incredibly low. In fact, it's the lowest Dr. Cate Shanahan, who introduced me to HOMA-IR, has ever seen. The reason for this is that my body became more efficient at burning fuel, due to the increased availability of glucose. I consumed extra carbohydrates, which gave my cells energy. They could function better, which improved my metabolic health.