Insulin Fasting

Insulin fasting is a blood test to measure the insulin level in the blood after a fasting period. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. It helps in the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of our body for the production of energy. Carbohydrates from the food that we eat are broken down during digestion to simpler molecules called glucose which is absorbed into the bloodstream from our digestive system. Therefore, based on how much one eats, the insulin production by the pancreas will increase or decrease. In the case of diabetes mellitus, there can be an issue with insulin production in the body. Depending on whether a person has Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes or any other disease affecting the function of the pancreas, the insulin levels in the blood can vary. The fasting insulin test is done after fasting for 8 to 12 hours to ensure the correct measurement of insulin. When the body has not received any food to digest and process over the last 10 hours, the insulin levels are expected to drop. Thus, the insulin levels should be in the normal range when the blood sample is analysed for a normal individual. Higher or lower than normal insulin levels would indicate either the pancreas not functioning optimally or some other pathological condition in the body. Type 1 diabetes is also known as IDDM – Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. The results of the insulin fasting test provide the know-how for the management of type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is known as NIDDM – Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. One of the reasons for Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. When the body’s cells do not respond to insulin levels, it is known as insulin resistance. This resistance causes the pancreas to produce more insulin. The insulin fasting report can assist with better diagnosis and confirmation of this condition. Since this test directly measures the insulin levels in the blood, it is helpful for doctors to determine if the medication for diabetes needs to include insulin. In a situation where insulin fasting test results are abnormally high, they point towards a possible tumor of the pancreas known as an insulinoma.