HOMA-IR
Also called Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, homeostasis model assessment
HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance) is a calculated score that estimates insulin resistance from two fasting blood results: insulin and glucose. It is not a separate test; it is a formula applied to a fasting insulin and a fasting glucose drawn at the same time.
The logic is that a person who needs a lot of insulin to hold an ordinary fasting glucose is more insulin resistant than someone who holds the same glucose on less. HOMA-IR is a simpler stand-in for the research gold standard, the glucose clamp, and it has limits in routine practice: there are no universally agreed cut-offs, and different populations have arrived at different thresholds. US health bodies note that testing for insulin resistance is used mainly in research rather than routine diagnosis. How the score is calculated and interpreted is explained in HOMA-IR: Turning Two Numbers Into a Picture of Insulin Resistance.
Why it matters after 45
Insulin resistance usually develops quietly, because the pancreas compensates with extra insulin before glucose or A1c rise. Midlife brings more of its main drivers, belly fat and lower activity, and the risk of type 2 diabetes increases with age. HOMA-IR is one way to put a number on that early stage, with the caveat that it estimates rather than measures and is read alongside A1c and glucose.
Where it comes up
Related terms
References
- Horáková D, et al. Optimal Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) Cut-Offs: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Czech Population. Medicina (Kaunas), 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6571793/
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
- Cleveland Clinic. Insulin Resistance. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22206-insulin-resistance
Definitions here are educational and are not medical advice. They explain what a term means; the pages linked above cover what it means for you, and a clinician reviews your own results. Editorial & medical review policy · All glossary terms