🩸 HOMA-IR Insulin Resistance Simulator

Normal Insulin Sensitivity — The Healthy Baseline

Modest insulin keeps glucose stable. This is the reference state.

• 70–99: Typical fasting glucose (mg/dL, normal range)
• 2–10: Typical fasting insulin (μIU/mL, low effort)
• < 1.5: Typical HOMA-IR (well within normal)
• 405: Formula constant (mg/dL calibration divisor)

What normal sensitivity looks like

Small insulin pulses. Fast glucose uptake. Low beta-cell workload.

Why the formula works here

Low glucose times low insulin keeps the HOMA-IR ratio small.

Early Insulin Resistance — Tissues Start Responding Less

Cells need more insulin signal to move the same glucose.

• 85–95: Fasting glucose shift (mg/dL, still near-normal)
• 10–15: Fasting insulin rise (μIU/mL, compensating)
• 1.5–2.5: HOMA-IR band (early resistance zone)
• Receptor: Mechanism (signaling blunted downstream)

Subclinical resistance begins

Glucose barely moves; insulin output quietly increases to compensate.

Why this stage is easy to miss

Standard glucose tests look normal; only HOMA-IR flags the drift.

Compensated Insulin Resistance — Hyperinsulinemia Takes Over

Insulin rises substantially while glucose control still holds.

• 90–100: Fasting glucose (mg/dL, near-normal)
• 15–24: Fasting insulin (μIU/mL, compensatory surge)
• 2.5–3.8: HOMA-IR band (compensated resistance zone)
• High: Beta-cell load (sustained hypersecretion)

Compensatory hyperinsulinemia

Pancreas overworks to mask resistance; glucose still looks fine.

A hidden warning sign

Elevated insulin alone often precedes glucose abnormalities by years.

Progressive Beta-Cell Strain — Compensation Starts to Fail

Sustained overwork wears down capacity; glucose begins rising too.

• 100–125: Fasting glucose creep (mg/dL, trending up)
• 24–30: Fasting insulin (μIU/mL, near capacity)
• 3.8–7: HOMA-IR band (progressive strain zone)
• Prediabetes: Trajectory (approaching threshold)

Compensation reaches its limit

Beta cells can no longer fully offset resistance; glucose climbs.

Both markers now moving

Rising glucose plus rising insulin drives HOMA-IR up sharply.

Marked Insulin Resistance — Reading the Final Score

Elevated glucose and insulin together signal significant resistance.

• 125–180: Fasting glucose (mg/dL, elevated)
• 30–40: Fasting insulin (μIU/mL, near-maximal effort)
• > 3.8: HOMA-IR band (marked resistance threshold)
• Diabetes risk: Clinical signal (progression pathway visible)

Interpreting the threshold

HOMA-IR above ~3.8 flags marked resistance in most reference sets.

What happens next clinically

Sustained elevation often precedes prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.