Insulin, Fasting

Panel: Diabetes Tests · All diabetes tests

Typical adult reference range

Conventional units2.6–24.9 µIU/mL
SI units18–173 pmol/L

Ranges vary between laboratories and methods — compare your result with the range printed on your own report.

What a high or low result can mean

High insulin, fasting: high values can be seen in insulin resistance and with insulin-producing tumors.

Low insulin, fasting: low values may occur when pancreatic insulin production is reduced.

These are associations, not a diagnosis: the same result can have several causes, and your clinician interprets it with the rest of your results and history.

Good to know

Interpreted together with a simultaneous glucose level.

Please note: Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and between the methods and instruments they use — the range printed on your own report is the one your result should be compared with. A result outside the range is not by itself a diagnosis, and a result inside it does not rule out illness. These pages are an educational summary, not medical advice: always discuss your results with the clinician who ordered them, who can interpret them in the context of your health and history.