Source:
http://www.health-alliance.com
How can you diagnose insulin resistance?
A simple, inexpensive, shorthand way to diagnose insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia is a fasting serum insulin and a c-peptide level. In the pancreas, when insulin is made, it starts out as two fragments attached to each other by a connecting peptide called c-peptide. When this molecule comes out of the pancreas, two pieces split off the c-peptide, to form regular insulin, and the insulin and c-peptide exist separately. For each molecule of insulin made, a molecule of c-peptide is made, so that high insulin secretion by the pancreas is associated with high c peptide levels. If fasting serum insulin is high (greater than 20), or if c-peptide is high (greater than 4.6), then it is very likely that insulin resistance syndrome is present. This can occur with normal blood glucose or commonly in type 2 diabetes, with high blood glucose, can lead to the insulin resistance syndrome.