I had some tests done by a lab called Health Diagnostic Laboratories.
They did a “Diabetes Prevention and Management” panel. There are three categories: Glycemic Control, Insulin Resistance, and Beta Cell Function.
I didn’t include units and I only listed if it was optimal, intermediate risk, or high risk.
Glycemic Control
Glucose 89
HbA1c 4.9%
Estimated Avg Glucose 93.9
Fructosamine 330
Glycation Gap -2.5
Postprandial Glucose Index 5.7
All of these numbers except Fructosamine are within the “optimal range” as defined by this lab. Elevated fructosamine indicates sustained blood sugar over the previous 2-3 week period. It usually goes along with a higher A1c, but my A1c is good, so in my case, it might just be because I was partying and eating my face of in New Orleans about a week before the test.
Insulin Resistance
Adiponectin 9
Free Fatty Acid .94
alpha hydroxybutyrate 6.4
oleic acid 108
The above set of numbers are all in the HIGH RISK range, indicating that I have insulin resistant adipose tissue.
However, the rest of the tests in the “Insulin Resistance” category all resulted in OPTIMAL levels:
Leptin <2 (high risk is >43, medium is 20-43, optimal is less than 20. MINE WAS <2??
Linoleoyl-GPC 22
IRi Score 13.8
HOMA-IR Score 0.9
Again, those 4 tests above all would indicate VERY good insulin sensitivity…they are not just optimal, but seem to fall at the good end of the optimal range.
Beta Cell Function
Insulin 3 (optimal)
Proinsulin 8 (between optimal and intermediate risk)
C-Peptide 1.3 (Optimal)
Proinsulin:C-Peptide ratio 6.0 (high Risk)
Anti-GAD <5 (optimal)
-hard to believe that Proinsulin:C-Peptide ratio is high risk…individually, both values are actually pretty good, but the ratio doesn’t look as good.
Inflammation/Oxidation
Fibrinogen 263 (optimal)
hs-CRP <0.3 (optimal)
Myeloperoxidase 184 (optimal)
So, in summary, it looks like Glycemic Control, Inflammation, and Beta Cell Function are all good, but there are some markers that suggest insulin resistance in my fat cells.
Which kind of makes sense, as I have always been able to go on stretches of eating like a horse without seeming to add much fat, as long as I’m also training hard consistently.
The flip side of that coin is that I also have some pretty bad genetics when it comes to cholesterol numbers. I wonder if storage-resistant fat cells could lead to high levels of circulating fats, which would not be a good mix for someone with high risk markers for atherosclerosis.
Chime in if you have any thoughts! I’d love to repeat these tests under all sets of different conditions, but it’s expensive and insurance only covers the testing every 3 or 6 months.