Biomarkers 101 Insulin

Issues of High Insulin Levels

Interpreting lab markers Insulin, a hormone released by your pancreas in response to high blood sugar. It is a necessary hormone to maintain blood sugar for cell energy. However, there are a few issues with high insulin levels:

1. Insulin is anabolic, and cause cells to grow uncontrollably, especially cancer cells. This is why we see a higher cancer rate is diabetes and obesity [PMID: 22051112]

2. Insulin is a earlier and more sensitivity marker of diabetes. Many doctors look at fasting blood sugar or A1C%. But by the time these markers are up, you’re already knee deep in reaching diabetes. Fasting insulin catches insulin resistance and pre-diabetes MUCH earlier [PMID: 21537426]

3. Insulin is pro-inflammatory. It upregulates production of inflammatory chemicals like cytokines & interleukins. [PMID: 18695473]

4. Insulin resistance promotes weight gain. Higher levels of insulin suggest your body can’t use fuel (mostly carbs) as energy well leading to fat gain.

What to Do

1. Ask your doctor to measure fasting insulin.

2. Aim for a fasting insulin of if less than 8, ideally in the 1-5 range.

3. Check your blood glucose with a fingerstick glucose meter several times a day or a continuous meter(CGM).

4. Keep your carb intake low if you’re not active. You have to earn your carbs.