Understanding Your Blood Work: Fasting Insulin Test

Diabetes, pre-diabetes, and blood sugar issues like metabolic syndrome and hypoglycemia are serious conditions that can significantly impact your quality of life. Yet many people living with these conditions don't even know they have them.

What's concerning is that standard medical tests often miss the early warning signs of blood sugar issues before they develop into full-blown conditions. Even with regular check-ups, your doctor might not detect that you're at risk until much later in the progression.

Here's something important to understand: type 2 diabetes doesn't appear overnight. It typically begins with a condition called insulin resistance, which can develop silently over many years before showing up on standard blood sugar tests. By the time you receive a diagnosis of pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, the underlying issue has often been present for quite some time.

At Knew Health , our mission is to empower you to achieve optimal wellness – whatever that looks like for your unique situation – while being proactive about your health. We facilitate and provide discounted diagnostics blood work tests that can help you identify irregularities early, prevent health conditions from developing, and detect chronic conditions when they're most treatable.

That's why we've made the fasting insulin test available to all Knew Health Members. Making this test part of your regular health screening is one powerful way to protect your long-term wellness.

When it comes to blood sugar challenges, early detection makes all the difference. Identifying potential issues early can help you take action before they develop into chronic conditions.

This is where the fasting insulin test becomes invaluable. The fasting insulin test – which is different from the fasting glucose test – is one of the most accurate tools available for detecting trends toward pre-diabetes. We like to call it the "pre-pre-diabetes test" because it measures your insulin levels, which typically become imbalanced long before glucose or HbA1C levels show any problems.

Most doctors screen patients for diabetes using the fasting glucose test. When that test comes back normal, they'll tell you everything looks fine. Unfortunately, this approach doesn't always catch potential blood sugar issues in their early stages. Your body is remarkably adaptable and will often compensate by raising insulin levels to keep your blood glucose and HbA1c within normal ranges.

Even when your blood glucose test results appear perfectly healthy, you could still be in the early stages of developing a blood sugar issue. The fasting insulin test, however, can reveal these hidden imbalances.

To be clear, blood glucose and HbA1C testing provide valuable information, but the fasting insulin test offers unique insights for predicting early signs of blood sugar challenges.

At Knew Health , we encourage you to discuss your fasting insulin test results and your HbA1c test results with your doctor and your Health Coach to develop a personalized wellness plan.

As we mentioned, this test is one of the best ways to detect insulin resistance. But let's explore what insulin resistance actually means for your body.

Insulin is a vital hormone that your body produces. It manages your blood sugar levels and plays a key role in the metabolism of fat and protein. When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels naturally rise. Your pancreas detects this increase and releases insulin. This insulin then travels throughout your body, signaling your cells to absorb sugar from your blood and use it for energy.

This process is essential because extremely high blood sugar can be toxic to your body – in fact, it can be life-threatening.

Insulin resistance occurs when your cells become less responsive to insulin's signals. When this happens, your pancreas needs to produce more insulin to achieve the same effect, which drives up your insulin levels.

This condition has become surprisingly common in our modern world. According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 1 in 3 Americans have insulin resistance. Unfortunately, many people live with it unknowingly for years.

Insulin resistance can lead to blood sugar imbalances. And elevated blood sugar from diabetes — when left unaddressed — can develop into metabolic syndrome, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Considering that one-third of Americans have insulin resistance, we highly recommend everyone consider an annual fasting insulin test. However, it's especially important to have this test done if you're experiencing any symptoms that might indicate insulin resistance.

The good news is that all Knew Health Members have access to this test through our laboratory diagnostics partner.

The following are common signs that might indicate insulin resistance:

• Acne
• Weight gain, especially around the midsection
• Fatigue after eating
• Frequent dizziness
• Feeling weak or shaky
• Needing to eat frequently for energy
• Hormone imbalances, including PCOS and fertility challenges in women
• Craving carbohydrate-rich foods (such as pasta, bread, sugar)

As a precautionary measure, we recommend getting fasting insulin tests done even if you don't have these symptoms.

What's a normal result for the fasting insulin test?

This isn't quite the right question to ask. Unfortunately, "normal" levels aren't necessarily optimal , because so many people have insulin resistance. "Normal" is just a statistical average of the general population's results. We aim for "optimal/functional levels," not just "normal" or "high-normal" levels.

The optimum fasting insulin levels are less than 8 (or even better, around 4 or 5). This indicates you're not creating high insulin demand. Your body is producing insulin at optimal levels. Levels higher than 8 suggest some degree of insulin resistance.

Here at Knew Health , we want to help you achieve optimal levels to help prevent future issues from developing. Our goal is to help you uncover and address any imbalances now to support your long-term wellness.

If your results are less than optimal, there's no need to panic! The positive news is we've identified a trend toward pre-diabetes early, which means there's plenty of time to turn things around. By being proactive about your health, you've taken an excellent step toward your future wellness.

Fortunately, you can make changes now to help prevent the development of chronic blood sugar conditions.

And here's something encouraging: plenty of research has shown insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, and even type 2 diabetes can be addressed through diet and lifestyle changes, as the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website states.

We encourage you to engage your primary healthcare provider, as well as Health Coaches, to evaluate your results and work together to create positive, sustainable lifestyle changes.

One of the most effective approaches is reducing your intake of carbohydrates while increasing your intake of healthy fats. This is often called a low carb, high fat (LCHF) diet. Now, this doesn't mean you need to eliminate carbs completely, but it might involve reducing them more than you'd expect.

You might be thinking, "I don't eat sweets often. I already have a healthy diet!" That may be true, but many of us consume high levels of carbohydrates without realizing it. For example, juices are often loaded with sugar, and certain fruits and vegetables can be surprisingly high in carbs.

We recommend increasing your intake of healthy, stable fats. This can include extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and fish oil (either from wild-caught salmon or omega-3 supplements ). Nuts, avocados, fatty fish, dark chocolate, and whole eggs can also provide beneficial fats.

Some tips for decreasing your carb intake:

• Keep high-fat snacks on hand for when you need them, like full-fat yogurt or seed crackers with guacamole
• Have some low-carb go-to meals for busy days, like scrambled eggs with avocado, or a simple salad
• Try a meal delivery service with low-carb options
• Avoid fruit juices and high-carb smoothies
• Find low-carb treats made with dark chocolate or coconut
• Opt for full-fat dairy products

We recommend talking to a doctor before making any major dietary changes.

You've probably heard that the more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body burns fat. The same principle applies to insulin. When you build muscle, it helps move glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells, which naturally supports healthy insulin levels.

Because of this, you'll want to focus on exercises that effectively build muscle.

This can include:

• High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or "burst" training
• Weight lifting
• Yoga

HIIT is a type of exercise where you work out intensely for 30 seconds to 1 minute, rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then repeat. If you're pressed for time, interval training may be perfect for you, as you can complete an effective workout in as little as 15 to 20 minutes.

In fact, a recent study showed that while both moderate and high-intensity training had positive impacts on subjects' blood sugar levels, the moderate-level group experienced only half the benefits of the high-intensity training group. That's right: sometimes less time exercising can yield more benefits when done at higher intensity!

Struggling to get moving? Find a way to make it enjoyable. Purchase a fitness tracker, try an online challenge, or find an accountability buddy. You can talk to your Health Coach if you're finding it challenging to stay motivated.

In our busy lives, it's often challenging to find enough time to rest. This can have significant implications for our health.

Research shows that sleep plays a crucial role in your body's ability to maintain balanced metabolism and insulin levels. If your insulin levels come back too high despite a healthy diet and exercise routine, insufficient or poor-quality sleep could be the missing piece.

For optimal health and blood sugar balance, we encourage Members to aim for between 7.5 and 9 hours of restful sleep per night. If you're having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, that's an issue worth addressing right away.

Your Knew Health Coach has a powerful, practical toolbox to help you sleep better. For some helpful starting points, check out our previous article on sleep hygiene tips.

There are many ways chronic stress can affect your blood sugar levels — from triggering comfort eating as a way to regulate your stress response to disrupting your sleep, which leads to more blood sugar challenges. It can also impact your immune system.

Bottom line: managing stress daily is essential for maintaining healthy insulin levels and supporting your overall wellness.

To reduce stress, you might try the following:

• A creative hobby. Creative activities help us process emotions, relax, and express ourselves.
• Exercise. You already know that exercise supports healthy insulin levels, but it also helps release stress and anxiety.
• Meditation. It might sound simple, but research shows that meditation really does reduce stress and anxiety.
• Journaling. Writing can help with both anxiety and depression.
• Therapy. Whether you're going through a difficult time or not, therapy can help you develop healthy stress management strategies.
• Quality time. Spending meaningful time with people you love is a wonderful way to unwind.

Whatever approach resonates with you, make it a point to practice at least one stress-relieving activity every single day. These seemingly simple lifestyle choices are actually quite powerful in supporting blood sugar balance and improving your general wellbeing.

Our Knew Health Coaches help our Members create stress-busting routines and habits that work for their unique lifestyles.

• Blood sugar conditions take years to develop, and most standard tests fail to detect the signs of pre-pre-diabetes.
• The fasting insulin test can help you detect insulin resistance early.
• Optimal insulin levels are below 8.
• You want optimal levels, not just "normal" or "high-normal" levels.
• While genetics can play a role, lifestyle changes can often help prevent insulin problems.
• Diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management all play key roles in keeping insulin levels balanced.
• Studies have shown that working with a Health Coach — like those at Knew Health — significantly helps people manage chronic conditions, including blood sugar issues.

Do you need support with a blood sugar issue? Or do you suspect you may be at risk for developing such a condition? If so, we encourage you to reach out to your healthcare provider.

Visit our Services page to learn more about how Knew Health can empower you to be more proactive with your health. We provide you with the resources you need to reach and maintain your optimal, individual wellness, and we support our Community when unexpected accidents and illnesses happen.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is being provided to educate you about how to take care of your body and as a self-help tool for your own use so that you can reach your own health goals. It is not intended to treat or cure any specific illness and is not to replace the guidance provided by your own medical practitioner. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment. If you suspect you have a medical problem, we urge you to take appropriate action by seeking medical attention.