Insight into your insulin level.
Insulin is the hormone from the pancreas that lowers blood sugar. Measured while fasting, it gives additional insight alongside glucose and HbA1c, for example with questions about sensitivity to insulin. Fasting is required.
Also known as: fasting insulin
Interpreted by BIG-registered doctors
How Bloodworks works
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Blood draw
Takes just a few minutes
Receive your report
Securely, within a few working days from our physicians
Background
What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas. After a meal, blood sugar rises, after which the pancreas releases insulin. Insulin allows glucose to enter the cells, where it serves as fuel or is stored. As a result, blood sugar falls again. Insulin is therefore the hormone that brings blood sugar down, and it also plays a role in the storage of fat.
If the cells respond less well to insulin, the pancreas produces more of it to keep blood sugar in check. In that situation, glucose can still be normal while insulin is already higher. A fasting insulin measurement therefore gives additional insight alongside glucose and HbA1c: glucose shows the result, insulin shows how much effort the body puts in to achieve it. Insulin is a sensitive marker that fluctuates and cannot be read in isolation. The value gains meaning in combination with your glucose and your personal situation.
In brief
From the pancreas
The hormone that lowers blood sugar
Fasting required
Eight hours or more without food for a usable value
Additional marker
To be read alongside glucose and HbA1c
Sensitive
Fluctuates with food, sleep and stress
Common reasons to test
When can insight into your Insulin be valuable?
Below are some situations in which measuring Insulin can provide insight.
With questions about insulin sensitivity
A fasting insulin gives additional insight into how much insulin your body needs to regulate blood sugar.
Together with glucose
Glucose shows the result, insulin shows how much effort your body puts in to achieve it. Together they give a fuller picture.
With diabetes in the family
If type 2 diabetes runs in your family, people more often choose to look at blood sugar regulation more broadly.
With a changing lifestyle
Those adjusting diet, weight or exercise sometimes use fasting insulin as a reference point to track the effect over time.
With stubborn weight or waist circumference
Difficulty losing weight or an increasing waist circumference are questions for which people more often have blood sugar regulation examined more broadly.
With medication that affects blood sugar
Some medicines, such as corticosteroids, can affect blood sugar and therefore insulin. A measurement gives insight into your current level.
What your result means
How do we read your Insulin level?
Depending on the laboratory, insulin is measured in mIU/L or in pmol/L. The laboratory states the reference values that apply there alongside your result. Important: a fasting insulin is a snapshot and can only be interpreted alongside your glucose. Fasting is required, because insulin rises after a meal and the result would not be comparable.
A low value
A low fasting insulin occurs in people who are insulin sensitive, and is then often harmless. If a low insulin comes together with an elevated glucose, that is a different picture and our doctor will look at it more closely. The result is therefore always assessed together with your glucose.
A normal value
A fasting insulin within the laboratory's reference values gives a reassuring picture for this marker at this moment. It remains a snapshot and says little about what happens after a meal. Glucose and HbA1c give additional insight, HbA1c over a longer period.
An elevated value
An elevated fasting insulin may indicate that the body needs more insulin to regulate blood sugar, even when glucose itself is still normal. Short-term factors also play a role, such as insufficient fasting, illness, lack of sleep, stress or certain medication. A single elevated measurement is therefore not a diagnosis. Our doctor explains what your value means in combination with your glucose, and whether follow-up is customary.
How we interpret your result
Our doctors interpret your insulin level against the laboratory's reference values, your glucose level and your personal context, such as lifestyle, medication use and any known conditions.
Related tests
Often combined with Insulin.
A single marker gives one perspective. For a broader picture you can combine Insulin with a theme package or related markers.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you want to know
Do I need to fast for an insulin test?
Yes, fasting is required. You eat nothing for eight hours or more before the blood draw. Drinking water is fine. If you do eat something, your insulin rises and the result is not usable or comparable.
What is the difference between insulin and glucose?
Glucose is the blood sugar itself, insulin is the hormone that lowers it. Glucose shows the result, insulin shows how much effort your body puts in to achieve that result. This is why they are best measured together.
Why measure insulin if my glucose is normal?
If the cells respond less well to insulin, the pancreas produces more of it to keep blood sugar in check. In that phase, glucose can still be normal while insulin is already higher. A fasting insulin can provide that additional insight. It remains one marker and not a diagnosis.
What is HOMA-IR?
HOMA-IR is a calculation combining fasting insulin and fasting glucose, as an aid for questions about sensitivity to insulin. It is a model used mainly in research and is not a standalone diagnosis. Our doctor always assesses your insulin together with your glucose and your personal situation.
Can a single elevated result mean something?
No, a single measurement is not a diagnosis. Insufficient fasting, illness, lack of sleep, stress or certain medication can temporarily raise insulin. Our doctor explains the result and indicates whether a repeat test or further investigation via your GP is customary.
Does my medication affect my insulin level?
Yes. Corticosteroids, some diabetes medicines and certain other substances can affect blood sugar and therefore insulin. If you use insulin as a medicine yourself, this test is not useful for assessing your own production. Please tell us about your medication so our doctor can take this into account.
How often should I have insulin measured?
A single measurement is enough for initial insight. If you are following a lifestyle programme or an abnormal value was found earlier, periodic re-testing is customary. Always test while fasting and preferably in the morning, so that measurements are properly comparable.
What do I do with my result?
You receive a PDF report with your value and a personal explanation from a doctor. What you do with it, such as discussing it with your GP, remains entirely your choice.
Ready for insight into your insulin level?
For €79 you receive your fasting insulin level including personal explanation from a doctor, typically within a few working days. No referral required.
Order Insulin for €69 →Want to test multiple markers at once?
Combine Insulin with other markers via Bloodworks Select. Blood draw costs are waived from €225.
69,-
All-in, blood draw included