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Have your fasting glucose measured. Receive an oral glucose tolerance test. Get a simple blood test to have your HbA1c measured.
It is very challenging for physicians to test for insulin resistance directly; therefore, the most common way in which it is tested for is indirectly, by assessing other quantities that may be indicative of a state of insulin resistance. One key indication that you may be insulin resistant is if your fasting glucose level is elevated. You will need to get a form from your family doctor (or another physician) sending you for a "fasting blood test." A fasting blood test is no different than a regular blood test, other than that it requires that you do not eat or drink (except for water) for eight hours prior to the blood test. Most people find it easiest to fast (i.e. to refrain from eating and drinking) overnight and to have the blood test first thing in the morning. A normal fasting glucose measurement is less than 100mg/dL. If your fasting glucose is between 100125 mg/dL, you have "pre-diabetes" and likely have insulin resistance. If it is above 126 mg/dL on two separate tests, you will be diagnosed with diabetes (and it is key to understand that the diagnosis of diabetes is a more severe form of insulin resistance). In addition to a blood test checking your fasting glucose measurement, your doctor may advise that you receive an oral glucose tolerance test. This test also requires that you fast (do not eat for eight hours prior to the test). The difference is that the oral glucose tolerance test takes between one and three hours. This is a routine test for pregnant women to screen for gestational diabetes. Your glucose level is measured prior to the start of the test. You are then instructed to consume a beverage high in sugar, and your glucose levels will continue to be monitored at set time intervals after that to observe how your body manages the glucose load in your bloodstream. If your body is able to effectively utilize insulin (the hormone that transports glucose from the bloodstream inside cells where it is needed), your results will be normal. On the other hand, if your body has developed insulin resistance, you will not be able to quickly and effectively transport the glucose from your bloodstream into your cells, and this will show up as an elevated glucose level in your test results. A glucose result between 140200 mg/dL on your oral glucose tolerance test is indicative of "pre-diabetes" and likely some degree of insulin resistance. A glucose result over 200 mg/dL on your oral glucose tolerance test is diagnostic of diabetes, which is a more severe form of insulin resistance. One of the newer tests that is now available to evaluate the amount of glucose in your bloodstream is called HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c). It gives doctors a three-month snapshot of how your sugar levels have been (i.e. it reflects the average amount of glucose in your bloodstream over the past three months). Doctors will usually use the A1c blood test or glucose tolerance test, but not both. It is a highly useful test because it is the only one that offers a long-term profile of your body's ability to process glucose, which reflects back to your body's ability to effectively use insulin. If you have insulin resistance, your HbA1c value will be elevated due to your impaired ability to manage the glucose load in your bloodstream. A normal HbA1c is less than 5.6%. An HbA1c value between 5.76.4% is indicative of "pre-diabetes" and suggestive of insulin resistance. An HbA1c value above 6.5% is diagnostic of diabetes, which is a later stage and more severe form of insulin resistance.