The homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) is a simple index derived from a single fasting blood sample using fasting glucose and fasting insulin (classically HOMA-IR = fasting insulin (uU/mL) x fasting glucose (mmol/L) / 22.5). It was introduced by Matthews and colleagues in 1985 as a computer model of the glucose-insulin feedback loop to estimate insulin resistance and beta-cell function from basal concentrations. Fasting insulin alone and HOMA-IR are widely used surrogate markers of insulin resistance in clinical and epidemiological research, validated against the hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp, which is the reference method.
Higher fasting insulin and HOMA-IR reflect greater insulin resistance, a central feature of metabolic syndrome that precedes and predicts type 2 diabetes and, in large cohorts and meta-analyses, is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, certain cancers, and, in older adults, frailty and its progression. However, HOMA-IR is only a surrogate: it correlates moderately (not perfectly) with clamp measures and can be outperformed by the clamp or indices such as QUICKI, it has no universal cut-off (thresholds vary by insulin assay, age and ethnicity), and several studies report weaker or null associations (for example with cardiovascular outcomes in the very elderly, or with breast cancer for fasting insulin). This evidence describes the fasting-insulin/HOMA-IR measurement and insulin resistance in general, not this specific commercial test kit.
Peer-reviewed studies on the active compound — citations link to PubMed.
“insulin resistance is independently associated with greater risk of cardiovascular or all-cause mortality”
“Higher HOMA-IR was associated with incident diabetes”
“The estimate of insulin resistance obtained by homeostasis model assessment correlated with estimates obtained by use of the euglycaemic clamp (Rs = 0.88, p less than 0.0001), the fasting insulin concentration (Rs = 0.81, p less than 0.0001), and the hyperglycaemic clamp, (Rs = 0.69, p less than 0.01).”
“In conclusion, the HOMA model has become a widely used clinical and epidemiological tool and, when used appropriately, it can yield valuable data. However, as with all models, the primary input data need to be robust, and the data need to be interpreted carefully.”
“The QUICKI correlated best with SI (Eug clamp) (r = 0.69, P < 0.05) and had greater correlations to SI (Eug clamp) than did either SI (Hyper clamp) (r = 0.45, P < 0.05) or the HOMA-IR (r = -0.51, P < 0.05).”
“The cut-off values for IR were: HOMA1-IR > 2.7 and HOMA2-IR > 1.8; and, for MS were: HOMA1-IR > 2.3 (sensitivity: 76.8%; specificity: 66.7%) and HOMA2-IR > 1.4 (sensitivity: 79.2%; specificity: 61.2%).”
Research describes the active mechanism and is not a claim about this specific product.
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Yes — its active compound is linked to 16 peer-reviewed studies, summarized and cited above.
You can buy it on Amazon via the link above; Magellan earns a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you, which does not affect the evidence grade.
Dietary supplements and devices are generally well tolerated but are not a substitute for medical care. Talk to your physician before starting, especially if you take medication or have a health condition.