Lab Tests Explained: Insulin

This week, Dr. Dave Strobel briefly discusses a test measuring your fasting insulin level, which he says is probably the most important blood test that is almost never done.

The related blood test that is routinely performed is the fasting glucose level, and sometimes patients get Hemoglobin A1c measured, which estimates average blood glucose over a three-month period.

But if you're only measuring glucose, you're only getting half of the story.

A key role of insulin is to regulate the amount of glucose in your blood, what is generally referred to as your blood sugar level. Insulin, which is secreted by your pancreas, essentially shoves glucose from the blood into storage inside the cells, where another hormone can eventually call for it to be released as needed.

Your fasting insulin, when tested at the same time as your fasting glucose, enables your provider to determine how hard your pancreas is working to achieve that blood sugar level.

An elevated insulin level is a sign of insulin resistance, which is a contributing factor in many serious diseases and conditions.

If you are interested in learning more about the insulin test and why it's important, check out the Insulin lesson in the Lab Tests learning module available to Premium members on our website.

HELPcare Clinic membership includes this test, as well as more than 60 others as needed, at no extra charge. The savings are significant. Unhurried primary care appointments at HELPcare Clinic give you and your provider time to dig into the results to better understand what's going on with your health. 

Note: These videos are presented for educational purposes only. Your use of this site does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Specific medical advice is only offered through membership in HELPcare Clinic.

Share this:

John Aase

John is part of HELPcare’s content development team and lives with his wife Bella in Plymouth, Minnesota. He is an MFA candidate at Hamline University.