Lexicon
Fasting Insulin
Definition
Fasting insulin is the circulating insulin concentration measured after an overnight fast, commonly reported alongside fasting glucose and the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). [1] Fasting insulin is one of the markers of glycaemic control reported in trials of dietary and metabolic interventions, distinct from post-load or stimulated insulin measures. [2]
How it works
Fasting insulin serves as a proxy for insulin resistance: when tissue response to insulin falls, fasting insulin tends to rise, and it is combined with fasting glucose in the HOMA-IR index. [3] Increased fasting insulin and a higher HOMA-IR index are observed in states of metabolic and psychiatric dysregulation, including acute depression. [4]
Connected concepts
How it's measured
Estimates of insulin resistance based on fasting insulin concentration are convenient, but the hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp remains the gold standard because it directly measures skeletal muscle sensitivity to insulin. [3] Fasting insulin-based estimates of insulin resistance may be inaccurate in chronic kidney disease, where reduced renal clearance of insulin distorts fasting concentrations. [3]
What levels mean
In an umbrella review of randomized trials, intermittent fasting was associated with beneficial reductions in fasting insulin and in the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance. [5]
Community knowledge
## Early Signal And Mechanism
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- 1.Sampath Kumar A, Maiya AG, Shastry BA, Vaishali K, Ravishankar N, Hazari A, Gundmi S, Jadhav R. Exercise and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Phys Rehabil Med · 2019
- 2.Chiavaroli L, Lee D, Ahmed A, Cheung A, Khan TA, Blanco S, Mejia, Mirrahimi A. Effect of low glycaemic index or load dietary patterns on glycaemic control and cardiometabolic risk factors in diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ · 2021
- 3.Spoto B, Pisano A, Zoccali C. Insulin resistance in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol · 2016
- 4.Fernandes BS, Salagre E, Enduru N, Grande I, Vieta E, Zhao Z. Insulin resistance in depression: A large meta-analysis of metabolic parameters and variation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev · 2022
- 5.Patikorn C, Roubal K, Veettil SK, Chandran V, Pham T, Lee YY, Giovannucci EL, Varady KA. Intermittent Fasting and Obesity-Related Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses of Randomized Clinical Trials.
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