Fasting insulin
The hormone that pushes sugar out of your blood and into your cells.
Also printed asSerum Insulin · Insulin Fasting · Plasma Insulin
What it measures
The hormone that moves sugar out of the blood and into your cells.
Rises years before sugar does, and while it is high it also pushes up triglycerides, blood pressure and fat storage.
Why it matters for how long you stay well
It climbs years before blood sugar does, so it is one of the earliest warnings you can still act on, and while it stays high it also drives blood fats, blood pressure and fat storage upward.
How it shows up in daily life
When it runs high you may crave starchy food, gain weight around the middle, and feel heavy an hour after eating.
High and low readings
When it reads high
Your body is working harder than it should to keep sugar normal.
When it reads low
Low insulin is usually fine when sugar is also normal.
What moves it
Daily life
- sugary drinks and refined carbohydrate
- weight around your middle
- strength training and the muscle it builds
- sleep
- walking after meals
Medicines known to shift it
- metformin (lowers it)
- GLP-1 medicines (lower it)
- steroids (raise it)
Listed so a result can be read in context. It is not advice to start, stop or change any medicine; that decision belongs with your physician.
Read it with
Markers that move this one, or that this one moves. One number read alone can mislead.
- Insulin resistance scoreKnown mechanism
As this rises, Insulin resistance score is calculated from it
Fasting insulin is the other half of that formula, and the louder half. When insulin climbs, the score climbs with it even if your sugar has not moved.
- Uric acidKnown mechanism
As this rises, Uric acid rises with it
High insulin tells your kidneys to hold on to uric acid instead of passing it out. So uric acid rises for a reason that has nothing to do with your joints.
Common questions
What does Fasting Insulin measure?
The hormone that moves sugar out of the blood and into your cells. Rises years before sugar does, and while it is high it also pushes up triglycerides, blood pressure and fat storage.
What does a high Fasting insulin result usually mean?
Your body is working harder than it should to keep sugar normal.
What does a low Fasting insulin result usually mean?
Low insulin is usually fine when sugar is also normal.
What is the usual reference range for Fasting insulin?
A broad adult reference band is 2–12 µIU/mL. Labs differ, so read your result against the band printed on your own report.
Educational only, not a diagnosis. A single number means little without your history and the rest of your panel, so discuss your own results with your physician.
Typical adult reference band
- Adults
- 2–12 µIU/mL
Labs differ. The band printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Reported in µIU/mL, pmol/L
Ageing relevance
5/5
A direct input to a validated biological-age algorithm.
Worth knowing
Your pancreas releases insulin in pulses every few minutes rather than as a steady stream.
Have a report with this marker on it? Read it in context.
Upload it to Oraia, our health-intelligence tool, for a plain-language read of your markers that a Genoryx doctor can review.
Your biological age is a number you can measure.
Start with the 400+ parameter entry assessment and a 60-minute physician consultation at either Hyderabad clinic. Open seven days, 11 AM to 9 PM.
Book a consultation