Blood sugar
What is Insulin?
how hard your pancreas is working
- Unit
- mIE/L
- Sample
- Serum
- Fasting
- 10 hours
- Turnaround
- 3 days
Fasting insulin measures how much insulin your body has to produce to keep blood sugar normal. High values indicate insulin resistance, often before blood sugar rises.
Insulin is an early sign of metabolic imbalance and can be raised for years before diabetes develops. Together with fasting glucose it can be used to calculate HOMA-IR for a measure of insulin resistance.
What does low Insulin mean?
Low insulin can appear in type 1 diabetes or after prolonged caloric restriction.
What does high Insulin mean?
High fasting insulin suggests insulin resistance. Lifestyle changes - diet, weight, exercise - are the most effective ways to lower it.
Panels that measure Insulin
- Blood Sugar Test Plus
- Blood Sugar Test Complete
More markers in the same area
Launching in Stockholm in 2026.
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This is general information about the marker, not an assessment of your values and not medical advice. Last updated: August 2026.