Insulin, the fasting rate of which depends on gender and age, is a vital hormonal substance that takes part in many processes in the body of an individual. Both functions decrease and increase its concentration leads to a malfunction. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor its level. Regular monitoring can detect pathological conditions in the early stages and prevent complications from occurring in a timely manner. Most often, a change in functional activity and secretion is inherent in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Basically, this type is formed in middle-aged and elderly individuals who are overweight.
general information
The pancreatic hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism, is involved in the metabolism of fats and keeps blood sugar levels at an optimal level, called insulin. By nature, it is a protein that is made from proinsulin in the cells of the pancreas. Then it enters the bloodstream and performs its functions. Its deficiency provokes energy starvation of cells, contributes to an increase in glucose in the blood. All these factors negatively affect the internal processes that occur in the body of the individual, causing various endocrine disruptions. A study on this hormone reveals:
- The degree of sensitivity to insulin, i.e., insulin resistance.
- Violation of metabolic processes.
And also to diagnose insulin (neoplasm) and diabetes mellitus, in which there is an increased breakdown of the complex glycogen carbohydrate in the liver and muscle tissue. In addition, against the background of this pathology, the rate of glucose oxidation, the metabolism of proteins and lipids is reduced; the level of bad cholesterol increases; negative nitrogen balance appears.
Sugar diabetes is of two types:
- First, the body does not synthesize insulin. Its replenishment is carried out by taking hormones, i.e., the individual receives hormone replacement therapy. The number of required units is selected by the doctor for each patient.
- The second - an insufficient amount of the hormone is produced. As a result, there is no way to regulate the concentration of sugar in the blood.
Diabetes is a serious and dangerous ailment that reduces the quality of life of an individual and provokes severe complications. Therefore, its timely diagnosis by determining the concentration of insulin, of course, is important.
Indications for blood tests for insulin
The doctor recommends it in the following situations:
- Diagnosis of endocrine disorders, including gestational diabetes in expectant mothers.
- Screening for individuals with a predisposition to diabetes.
- Monitoring the course of diabetes.
- Selection of a dose of insulin.
- Identification of the body's immunity to insulin.
- Finding out the reasons for lowering blood glucose.
- Suspicion of a neoplasm in the pancreas.
- Overweight.
- Examination of patients with metabolic failure, as well as women with impaired ovarian function.
In addition, when identifying the following symptoms, doctors also prescribe an investigation of fasting insulin (the norms are presented in the article):
- a long period does not heal wounds on the dermis;
- dizziness, blurred consciousness, double vision;
- weakness, increased sweating;
- memory impairment;
- chronic fatigue, irritability, depression;
- constant feeling of hunger and thirst;
- dry mouth and skin;
- sharp fluctuations in weight while maintaining the usual physical activity and diet;
- history of heart attacks and tachycardia.
Preparation for analysis and rules for the delivery of biomaterial
To exclude the receipt of incorrect results, the analysis is carried out before the start of pharmacotherapy and such diagnostic procedures as MRI, ultrasound, CT, radiography, physiotherapy, and others, or two weeks after them. Venous blood from the ulnar vein is taken for analysis. The optimal time for taking biomaterial from seven to ten in the morning.
Rules for donating blood for insulin:
- The last meal should be ten hours before the biomaterial is taken.
- For several days, eliminate excessive physical and emotional overload, the use of alcohol-containing and energy fluids.
- For two days, exclude taking medication (as agreed with the treating doctor).
- For a day do not eat spicy and fatty dishes, as well as spices.
- On the day of delivery it is allowed to drink water that does not contain gas and salts. From babies take biomaterial an hour after feeding. Smoking before analysis is not recommended.
- Twenty to thirty minutes before the study, you need to relax, take a sitting position. It is important to remember that any emotional or physical stress is prohibited, since stress provokes the release of insulin into the blood.
The results of the study will be ready the day after the collection of material. Fasting insulin levels depend on gender, age, and the method used in the laboratory.
Why is it important to know your insulin level?
Insulin is the main hormone that regulates metabolic processes in the body of an individual. A fasting measurement of its concentration is performed in individuals who are also shown a study called the “glucose-insulin curve,” or a glucose tolerance test. In order to identify the maximum production of insulin, do a provocation with glucose. Before conducting such a test, doctors cancel the following medications: salicylates, estrogens, corticosteroids, hypoglycemic. Otherwise, the results will be distorted.
Biological material is delivered on an empty stomach from ten to sixteen hours. Adults take a loading dose of seventy-five grams of glucose. Blood sampling is carried out three times: on an empty stomach and then, after sixty and one hundred and twenty minutes. Diagnose diabetes if at least one of the samples was above acceptable values. In addition, they do a fasting test. On an empty stomach, glucose, insulin and C-peptide are determined in the blood of an individual. Then the patient is limited in fluid intake and food for twenty-four hours. At the same time, every six hours an analysis of the above three indicators is carried out.
What does high and low insulin mean?
Excessive fasting insulin indicates:
- Cushing's disease;
- acromegaly;
- type 2 diabetes;
- long-term use of corticosteroids, oral contraceptives and Levodopa medication.
In addition, it is detected in overweight individuals with fructose and galactose intolerance.
Excessive concentration of this hormone contributes to the occurrence of hypoglycemia, which is characterized by the following clinic: dizziness, convulsions, severe sweating, increased heart rate, and visual impairment. A lack of glucose can provoke a coma and lead to death.
Concentration below normal fasting insulin is observed in the first type of diabetes, pituitary insufficiency, inflammation of the pancreas.
Connecting C-peptide
This peptide and insulin are the end products of the conversion of proinsulin in pancreatic cells. They are secreted into the blood in equimolar amounts. The half-life of the C-peptide in plasma is twenty, and insulin is only four minutes. This explains the greater amount of the connecting peptide in the bloodstream, i.e., it is a more stable marker. C-peptide analysis is recommended for:
- Choosing a diabetes treatment tactics.
- Assessing the likelihood of fetal abnormalities in pregnant women with diabetes.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Diabetes in overweight teenagers.
- Diagnosis of insulinoma.
- Differential diagnosis of the first and second type of diabetes.
- Identification and control of remission of juvenile diabetes.
- Assessment of the residual function of beta cells in patients with diabetes with insulin.
- The prognosis of diabetes.
- Infertility.
- Suspected artificial hypoglycemia.
- Assessment of insulin secretion in kidney pathology.
- Control after pancreatic resection.
Decoding of the analysis results. The norm of the C-peptide (ng / ml)
The valid range is from 0.78 to 1.89. Concentration below normal is observed with:
- type 1 diabetes;
- alcohol hypoglycemia;
- stressful situations;
- removal of part of the pancreas.
The level of C-peptide in excess of regulatory values is characteristic of the following conditions:
- insulinoma;
- chronic renal failure;
- taking certain hormonal medications;
- hypoglycemia while taking tablets from the group of sulfonylurea derivatives.
Permissible insulin level (μU / ml)
For a healthy individual, reference values range from three to twenty. The rate of insulin in the blood on an empty stomach in women depends on age, hormonal changes, taking certain medications. If a lady takes hormonal drugs, including oral contraceptives, then it is necessary to notify a medical professional, as in this case, overestimation of insulin is not an abnormality. During the day, the concentration of this hormone changes repeatedly, so its acceptable values are presented in a rather wide range. Deviations from the norm are not always considered pathological. To identify the causes and, if necessary, adjustments, additional examinations and expert advice are necessary.
It will help to understand what is the norm of insulin in women by age, the table below.
Age | Allowed Borders |
25–35 | from 3 to 20 |
35–45 | from 3 to 26 |
45–65 | from 8 to 34 |
In pregnant women, its permissible level increases to 28, since during this period more energy is needed to ensure the full growth and development of the baby. During this period, the placenta synthesizes hormones that increase the amount of sugar in the bloodstream, and it acts as a provocateur of the release of insulin. As a result, the glucose level rises, it penetrates to the crumbs through the placenta, forcing the pancreas to work in an enhanced mode and produce large amounts of insulin. This phenomenon is considered natural and does not require correction.
The norms of insulin in the blood on an empty stomach in women in a position depend on the duration of pregnancy. In the first weeks, the need is slightly reduced, so the release of the hormone into the blood is reduced. And already from the second trimester, insulin production has been growing. If at this time the pancreas copes with its function, then the sugar level is normal. In cases where the synthesis of a large volume of insulin is impossible, gestational diabetes develops. In the third trimester, insulin resistance increases by fifty percent, and insulin production triples. After delivery, the need for a hormone decreases sharply, hormone synthesis decreases, and gestational diabetes disappears.
It is quite difficult for the fair sex, who are overweight or diabetes, to conceive a baby. The reason for this phenomenon is that the body is in constant stress. Both parents need to have an insulin level of 3 to 25 in order to conceive a healthy baby. A table of insulin norms in women by age is in the article (see above).
In the case of insulin deficiency, a malfunction of the muscular system will occur and it will be difficult for the body to cope with increased loads. At this time, the primary task is to maintain vital functions. Excesses are also considered an obstacle to a happy motherhood.
In men, the fasting blood insulin norm is more stable, unlike the opposite sex, and ranges from 3 to 25. In the strong half, the indicators depend not only on age, but also on weight, that is, the higher it is, the greater the body needs insulin. In addition, excess adipose tissue helps to reduce the amount of insulin receptors, which leads to a decrease in sensitivity to the hormone. With age, the lower and upper boundaries shift upward. The rate of insulin in the blood on an empty stomach in men in the older age category (after fifty years) is from 6 to 35. This phenomenon is associated with the following reasons:
- The body needs more energy for a full life.
- Continuous drug therapy for the treatment of chronic diseases.
- Frequent stresses.
- Weakening of the immune system.
- Decreased insulin sensitivity.
The activity of children is higher than adults, so they need more energy. If the child's weight is within normal limits and there are no signs of hypoglycemia, then a slight increase in insulin in excess of the values indicated below is not considered a cause for concern. The reason for this phenomenon is natural maturation and growth. The rate of insulin on an empty stomach in children:
- Newborns and babies up to a year - from three to fifteen:
- Preschoolers - from four to sixteen;
- From seven to twelve years old - from three to eighteen.
- In adolescents, from four to nineteen.
During puberty, the lower limit increases to five.
The level of insulin (μU / ml) after a meal
The norms of insulin on an empty stomach and after eating will be different, because after eating the work of the pancreas is enhanced and more hormone is produced. As a result, its amount in the bloodstream increases. However, this applies only to adults. In children, the amount of insulin is independent of digestion.
The maximum concentration of insulin, like glucose in the blood, is observed one and a half to two hours after eating. Thanks to this analysis, the pancreas and how it copes with the production of the hormone are evaluated. The result is evaluated by sugar level and insulin concentration, as these indicators depend on each other and vary directly proportionally. For women and men, the permissible limits are from 26 to 28. For expectant mothers and elderly individuals, from 28 to 35. In childhood, this indicator is 19.
What does a blood test for insulin show?
An insulin blood test on an empty stomach is considered an important diagnostic test. Complete or partial insufficiency of pancreatic hormone synthesis occurs at any age. According to the results of a blood test for insulin, it will be seen how much the organ does not cope with its function. In young people and children, the manifestation of diabetes occurs quite quickly and acutely, and mainly through ketoacidosis. Glycemic background in critical condition rises more than fifteen millimoles per liter. Toxic substances and dangerous compounds accumulate in the blood. They interfere with the penetration of glucose into cells and reduce the concentration of natural insulin in the body.
A complete blood count is taken on an empty stomach or not?
This question is often asked to doctors. Just like an insulin test, a complete blood count is taken on an empty stomach. The exception is only in emergency cases, which include emergency conditions, for example, appendicitis. The biomaterial is taken from a finger or from a vein. When collecting venous blood, along with a general analysis, a study can also be conducted for other indicators, including insulin.