What I See in the Lab Results, Not the Scale

Early insulin resistance does not show up on a basic metabolic panel. Fasting glucose and HbA1c can both be normal, and yet the woman in front of me is exhausted, foggy, gaining weight around her midsection, waking at 3am, and has been dismissed by two or three physicians who told her everything looks fine.

Fasting insulin shows a different picture. A result above 8 to 10 µIU/mL alongside normal glucose is the pattern I see consistently in high-achieving women in their 40s. It does not trigger a diagnosis, but it is the beginning of a cascade that, left unaddressed, becomes much harder to reverse.

Caught at this stage, it responds well. That is exactly why we test rather than guess.

Have you ever had your fasting insulin tested? Comment below. 💛

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