Fasting level 2.6 what does this mean?

Blood test results showed a fasting insulin level of 2.6, the reference should be 6.0-27.0. Is this
low level of insulin an unhealthy condition? My fasting blood glucose was 100, cholesterol and other
test were okay. Age 54, not overweight.

Advice and comments appreciated.

Mike

Mike Mansfield wrote:
> Blood test results showed a fasting insulin level of 2.6, the reference should be 6.0-27.0. Is
> this low level of insulin an unhealthy condition? My fasting blood glucose was 100, cholesterol
> and other test were okay. Age 54, not overweight.
>
> Advice and comments appreciated.
>
> Mike
Your insulin levels are meaningless without units.

--
Mike Collins UK Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk

Mike Mansfield wrote in message <7c6fe1c6.0403011052.5e6b0b83@posting.google.com>...
>Blood test results showed a fasting insulin level of 2.6, the reference should be 6.0-27.0. Is this
>low level of insulin an unhealthy condition? My fasting blood glucose was 100, cholesterol and
>other test were okay. Age 54, not overweight.
>
> Advice and comments appreciated.
>
> Mike

Well, we're not endocrinologists or even doctors.

However, your HOMA score looks pretty normal (i.e. Not Insulin Resistant) from here.

2.6 x 100/22.5 = 11.6

(if that insulin value was 2.6 micro-International Units/Liter)

Most/Many (?) Type 2 diabetics in the U.S. become Insulin Resistant years before developing the
symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes. Therefore, it's a good thing "not to be Insulin Resistant" at your age)

"HOMEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT (HOMA) AS A CLINICAL INDEX FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE IN PATIENTS WITH
TYPE 2 DIABETES IN COMPARISON TO THE EUGLYCAEMIC CLAMP
T. Wiesner, M. Blüher, R. Paschke III Medical Department, University of Leipzig, Germany Insulin
resistance plays an important role in type 2 diabetes. The gold standard for the in vivo
measurement of insulin resistance is the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. However,
this technique is time-consumig, expensive and not suitable for epidemiologic studies. The
Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was developed as a simple and inexpensive alternative to the
more complex clamp technique. . . .(snip)./ . .For our insulin assay (MEIA, ABBOTT) we
calculated a HOMA of >20 as insulin resistant (optimized by receiver operating characteristics
(ROC)). The specificity of the model is 89.9% and the sensitivity 84.4% for our patients. The
mean HOMA value was
80.17 ± 56 for individuals with insulin resistance and 14.82 ± 9.26 for insulin sensitive probands
(p = 0.01), respectively, as determined by the clamp technique. In conclusion, our data therefore
suggest, that the HOMA is a suitable and simple method to reliably assess the degree of insulin
resistance in epidemiological studies. . ."

However, on the other hand, your fasting blood glucose (FbG) is a bit high for a non-diabetic, and
your fasting insulin is a bit low. That might be a symptom of approaching Adult-onset Type 1
diabetes. You are about the right body build, and right age for adult-onset Type 1 so you might want
to keep an eye on your FbG for the next few years.

If you know any diabetics who test their blood sugars at home (i.e. "smart" diabetics), you might be
able to arrange to borrow their kit now and then. Otherwise, the Wal-Mart Relion meter and blood
glucose testing strips are about the cheapest on the market and, I think, the strips have a very
long shelf life.

If you run across any announcements by folks offering free diabetes blood tests (look hard in the
newspaper in March and Nov when this happens a lot), then for certain, run down and get one.

Regards
Old Al

"oldal4865" <oldal4865@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c208t7$1mmjqr$1@ID-121441.news.uni-berlin.de...
>
> Mike Mansfield wrote in message <7c6fe1c6.0403011052.5e6b0b83@posting.google.com>...
> >Blood test results showed a fasting insulin level of 2.6, the reference should be 6.0-27.0. Is
> >this low level of insulin an unhealthy
condition?
> > My fasting blood glucose was 100, cholesterol and other test were okay. Age 54, not overweight.
> >
> > Advice and comments appreciated.
> >
> > Mike
>
> Well, we're not endocrinologists or even doctors.
>
> However, your HOMA score looks pretty normal (i.e. Not Insulin
Resistant)
> from here.
>
> 2.6 x 100/22.5 = 11.6
>
> (if that insulin value was 2.6 micro-International Units/Liter)
>
> Most/Many (?) Type 2 diabetics in the U.S. become Insulin Resistant years before developing the
> symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes. Therefore, it's a
good
> thing "not to be Insulin Resistant" at your age)
>
> "HOMEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT (HOMA) AS A CLINICAL INDEX FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE IN PATIENTS WITH
> TYPE 2 DIABETES IN COMPARISON TO THE
EUGLYCAEMIC
> CLAMP
> T. Wiesner, M. Blüher, R. Paschke III Medical Department, University of Leipzig, Germany Insulin
> resistance plays an important role in type 2 diabetes. The gold standard for the in vivo
> measurement of insulin resistance is the
euglycemic
> hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. However, this technique is
time-consumig,
> expensive and not suitable for epidemiologic studies. The Homeostasis
model
> assessment (HOMA) was developed as a simple and inexpensive alternative to the more complex clamp
> technique. . . .(snip)./ . .For our insulin assay (MEIA, ABBOTT) we calculated a HOMA of >20 as
> insulin resistant (optimized by receiver operating characteristics (ROC)). The specificity of the
> model is 89.9% and the sensitivity 84.4% for our patients. The mean HOMA value
was
> 80.17 ± 56 for individuals with insulin resistance and 14.82 ± 9.26 for insulin sensitive probands
> (p = 0.01), respectively, as determined by the clamp technique. In conclusion, our data
> therefore suggest, that the HOMA
is
> a suitable and simple method to reliably assess the degree of insulin resistance in
> epidemiological studies. . ."
>
> However, on the other hand, your fasting blood glucose (FbG) is a bit high for a non-diabetic, and
> your fasting insulin is a bit low. That might be a symptom of approaching Adult-onset Type 1
> diabetes. You are about the right body build, and right age for adult-onset Type 1 so you might
> want to keep an eye on your FbG for the next few years.
>
> If you know any diabetics who test their blood sugars at home (i.e. "smart" diabetics), you might
> be able to arrange to borrow their kit now and then. Otherwise, the Wal-Mart Relion meter and
> blood glucose
testing
> strips are about the cheapest on the market and, I think, the strips have
a
> very long shelf life.
>
> If you run across any announcements by folks offering free diabetes blood tests (look hard in the
> newspaper in March and Nov when this happens a
lot),
> then for certain, run down and get one.
>
>
> Regards
> Old Al
>

Hi there Al,

Where can I find out more about the HOMA method? Do you have a good link where I could read and
understand a bit more about it?

Thanks,

Annette

Annette wrote in message ...
>
>"oldal4865" <oldal4865@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c208t7$1mmjqr$1@ID-121441.news.uni-
>berlin.de...
>>
>> Mike Mansfield wrote in message
. . . .(snip). . .

>> > Advice and comments appreciated.
>> >
>> > Mike
>>
>> Well, we're not endocrinologists or even doctors.
>>
>> However, your HOMA score looks pretty normal (i.e. Not Insulin Resistant) from here.
>>
>> 2.6 x 100/22.5 = 11.6
>>
>> (if that insulin value was 2.6 micro-International Units/Liter)
>>
>> Most/Many (?) Type 2 diabetics in the U.S. become Insulin Resistant years before developing
>> the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes. Therefore, it's a good thing "not to be Insulin Resistant" at
>> your age)
>>
. . .(snip). . .
>>
>> Regards
>> Old Al
>>
>
>Hi there Al,
>
>Where can I find out more about the HOMA method? Do you have a good link where I could read and
>understand a bit more about it?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Annette
>
>

Links? Yes. Good Links? Sorry, no.

Looking for HOMA stuff is frustrating. This is all I have in my file and two of them are probably
dead links. Also, no author that I have found so far really explains it, they are more interested in
"using it" in a variety of confusing ways.

However, I took a quick look at Google under HOMA insulin and it seems promising. I missed a lot of
those cites the first time I went after HOMA references.

http://www.medforum.nl/idm/vascular_...ecedes____.htm

http://www.lef.org/newsarchive/disea.../eng-faxwatch_
220027_7230838797363709708.html

http://www.easd.org/37th/Abs01/213.html

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi...t/23/4/449.pdf

Note that the QUICKI method is functionally equivalent to the HOMA method. Both methods just
multiply Fasting Insulin times Fasting Blood Glucose to produce the variable part of the Function.

However, one of the frustrating aspects of this technque is that neither the HOMA or QUICKI method
uses simple, straightforward mathematical functions. They made both of them more complicated for
what I (as an engineer) see as no good reason at all, e.g. HOMA: why multiply insulin by glucose
then divide by 22.5. . . .(22.5! What's that, the doc's apartment number?), or take the log of the
inverse of the product in the QUICKI model. (Hey, not even engineers think in terms of the Logarithm
of the Inverse Product, pH and pKa notwithstanding)

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/85/7/2402

Also, one can calculate HOMA/QUICKI using micro-International Units/L, or pico-mols/Liter for the
Insulin, and mg/dL or mmol/L for the bG. That gives you four different possible combinations and
four different values for transition from normal to high Insulin Resistance.

Getting doctors to agree is sorta like herding cats.

Regards
Old Al

Thank you.

Annette

"oldal4865" <oldal4865@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c225i8$1ntbl4$1@ID-121441.news.uni-
berlin.de...
>
> Annette wrote in message ...
> >
> >"oldal4865" <oldal4865@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c208t7$1mmjqr$1@ID-121441.news.uni-
> >berlin.de...
> >>
> >> Mike Mansfield wrote in message
> . . . .(snip). . .
>
> >> > Advice and comments appreciated.
> >> >
> >> > Mike
> >>
> >> Well, we're not endocrinologists or even doctors.
> >>
> >> However, your HOMA score looks pretty normal (i.e. Not Insulin Resistant) from here.
> >>
> >> 2.6 x 100/22.5 = 11.6
> >>
> >> (if that insulin value was 2.6 micro-International Units/Liter)
> >>
> >> Most/Many (?) Type 2 diabetics in the U.S. become Insulin Resistant
years
> >> before developing the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes. Therefore, it's a good thing "not to be
> >> Insulin Resistant" at your age)
> >>
> . . .(snip). . .
> >>
> >> Regards
> >> Old Al
> >>
> >
> >Hi there Al,
> >
> >Where can I find out more about the HOMA method? Do you have a good link where I could read and
> >understand a bit more about it?
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Annette
> >
> >
>
> Links? Yes. Good Links? Sorry, no.
>
> Looking for HOMA stuff is frustrating. This is all I have in my file and two of them are probably
> dead links. Also, no author that I have found so far really explains it, they are
more
> interested in "using it" in a variety of confusing ways.
>
> However, I took a quick look at Google under HOMA insulin and it seems promising. I missed a lot
> of those cites the first time I went after HOMA references.
>
> http://www.medforum.nl/idm/vascular_...ecedes____.htm
>
>
>
http://www.lef.org/newsarchive/disea.../eng-faxwatch_
> 220027_7230838797363709708.html
>
>
> http://www.easd.org/37th/Abs01/213.html
>
> http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi...t/23/4/449.pdf
>
> Note that the QUICKI method is functionally equivalent to the HOMA method. Both methods just
> multiply Fasting Insulin times Fasting Blood Glucose to produce the variable part of the Function.
>
> However, one of the frustrating aspects of this technque is that neither the HOMA or QUICKI method
> uses simple, straightforward mathematical functions. They made both of them more complicated for
> what I (as an engineer) see as no good reason at all, e.g. HOMA: why multiply
insulin
> by glucose then divide by 22.5. . . .(22.5! What's that, the doc's apartment number?), or take the
> log of the inverse of the product in the QUICKI model. (Hey, not even engineers think in terms of
> the Logarithm
of
> the Inverse Product, pH and pKa notwithstanding)
>
> http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/85/7/2402
>
> Also, one can calculate HOMA/QUICKI using micro-International Units/L,
or
> pico-mols/Liter for the Insulin, and mg/dL or mmol/L for the bG. That gives you four different
> possible combinations and four different values
for
> transition from normal to high Insulin Resistance.
>
> Getting doctors to agree is sorta like herding cats.
>
> Regards
> Old Al
>
>
>
>
>
>

Thank you.

Annette

"oldal4865" <oldal4865@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c225i8$1ntbl4$1@ID-121441.news.uni-
berlin.de...
>
> Annette wrote in message ...
> >
> >"oldal4865" <oldal4865@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c208t7$1mmjqr$1@ID-121441.news.uni-
> >berlin.de...
> >>
> >> Mike Mansfield wrote in message
> . . . .(snip). . .
>
> >> > Advice and comments appreciated.
> >> >
> >> > Mike
> >>
> >> Well, we're not endocrinologists or even doctors.
> >>
> >> However, your HOMA score looks pretty normal (i.e. Not Insulin Resistant) from here.
> >>
> >> 2.6 x 100/22.5 = 11.6
> >>
> >> (if that insulin value was 2.6 micro-International Units/Liter)
> >>
> >> Most/Many (?) Type 2 diabetics in the U.S. become Insulin Resistant
years
> >> before developing the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes. Therefore, it's a good thing "not to be
> >> Insulin Resistant" at your age)
> >>
> . . .(snip). . .
> >>
> >> Regards
> >> Old Al
> >>
> >
> >Hi there Al,
> >
> >Where can I find out more about the HOMA method? Do you have a good link where I could read and
> >understand a bit more about it?
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Annette
> >
> >
>
> Links? Yes. Good Links? Sorry, no.
>
> Looking for HOMA stuff is frustrating. This is all I have in my file and two of them are probably
> dead links. Also, no author that I have found so far really explains it, they are
more
> interested in "using it" in a variety of confusing ways.
>
> However, I took a quick look at Google under HOMA insulin and it seems promising. I missed a lot
> of those cites the first time I went after HOMA references.
>
> http://www.medforum.nl/idm/vascular_...ecedes____.htm
>
>
>
http://www.lef.org/newsarchive/disea.../eng-faxwatch_
> 220027_7230838797363709708.html
>
>
> http://www.easd.org/37th/Abs01/213.html
>
> http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi...t/23/4/449.pdf
>
> Note that the QUICKI method is functionally equivalent to the HOMA method. Both methods just
> multiply Fasting Insulin times Fasting Blood Glucose to produce the variable part of the Function.
>
> However, one of the frustrating aspects of this technque is that neither the HOMA or QUICKI method
> uses simple, straightforward mathematical functions. They made both of them more complicated for
> what I (as an engineer) see as no good reason at all, e.g. HOMA: why multiply
insulin
> by glucose then divide by 22.5. . . .(22.5! What's that, the doc's apartment number?), or take the
> log of the inverse of the product in the QUICKI model. (Hey, not even engineers think in terms of
> the Logarithm
of
> the Inverse Product, pH and pKa notwithstanding)
>
> http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/85/7/2402
>
> Also, one can calculate HOMA/QUICKI using micro-International Units/L,
or
> pico-mols/Liter for the Insulin, and mg/dL or mmol/L for the bG. That gives you four different
> possible combinations and four different values
for
> transition from normal to high Insulin Resistance.
>
> Getting doctors to agree is sorta like herding cats.
>
> Regards
> Old Al
>
>
>
>
>
>