Along with many other experts, I see little value in measuring fasting insulin.  However, my reasons may differ to others.   One reason is that fasting insulin does not generally reflect post-prandial insulin levels.   Although we are not as bad as Hobbits for continuously eating, many of us spend more time in the post-prandial state than we do in the fasted state.  This means that understanding our post-prandial insulin status has more meaning for our overall metabolic health than our fasting insulin levels.

From: An Unexpected Journey

Another challenge for using fasting insulin is understanding insulin secretion itself.

Insulin is released from the beta cells of the pancreas in a basal and bolus fashion.  In the basal state, we maintain a low level of insulin in the blood, enough to maintain homeostasis.  However, if blood glucose levels increase, a bolus of insulin is released in order to restore balance.

Many people…