Blood Sugar / Insulin

Blood Sugar imbalance can be a pre-cursor to insulin resistance leading to an increased production of fatty acids in the liver, which increases the amount of fats (Triglycerides and Cholesterol) circulating in the blood stream. It is therefore important to get all these areas tested.

We recommend that you visit your GP for a thorough assessment of the markers implicated in blood sugar imbalance, due to the possible elevations of other health related markers. The tests outlined below can be done free of charge by your GP through the NHS. This information should help and assist you to gain a deeper understanding of your symptoms and condition.

As imbalanced insulin and blood sugar are strongly implicated in cardiovascular disorders we recommend that you also read the information for heart and circulation to see if this is also relevant to you.

You should ask your GP to assess the following markers:

Total Cholesterol
HDL Cholesterol
LDL Cholesterol
VLDL Cholesterol
Triglycerides
Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
Glucose
Fasting Insulin
Fasting Insulin Resistance Index

What is Cholesterol?

Without cholesterol your body wouldn't work: it's vital to ensure the body's normal function. Cholesterol is a fatlike material present in the blood and most tissues, especially nervous tissue. Cholesterol forms an important constituent of cell membranes and is a precursors of many steroid hormones, such as oestrogens, progesterone, testosterone and cortisol, and bile salts. Cholesterol is synthesised by the body in the liver.

What is total cholesterol?

Total cholesterol is the sum of all the individual sub-types (i.e. HDL, LDL Cholesterol etc) of cholesterol. Elevated total cholesterol is associated with atheroma (arterial plaque).

Knowing your cholesterol level is not, on its own, enough to tell you what your personal risk of heart disease is. You also need to know about lipoproteins. These are special molecules that carry or transport cholesterol around the body.

What is LDL Cholesterol?

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is often known as bad cholesterol. It carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells. If supply exceeds demand, it can build-up on the artery walls reducing the amount of blood flow through the arteries. This can put extra pressure on your heart when it tries to pump your blood around your body and can result in heart attacks or similar. LDL levels are inversely related to HDL in terms of their ratios and often as LDL levels increase, HDL levels decrease. This result has been associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance, artheroclerosis, fatty liver and diabetes.

What is HDL Cholesterol?

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is often called good cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is comprised of mainly protein and its role is to take cholesterol away from the peripheral tissues and transport it to the liver for processing and metabolising. Low levels of HDL are seen in hyperlipidoemia ( a condition of elevated cholesterol in the blood), oxidative stress, heavy metal toxicity, fatty liver and insulin resistance.

What is VLDL Cholesterol ?

VLDL is a Very Low-Density Lipoprotein and, like LDL, is responsible for transporting fats from the liver to the body cells. Elevated levels of VLDL and LDL are associated with an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis.

What are Triglycerides?

Triglycerides are synthesised from the products of digestion of dietary fat. It is the form in which fat is stored in the body. Serum triglyceride levels are greatly influenced by dietary fat consumption. High levels are a good predictor of insulin sensitivity and may indicate insulin resistance.

What is the Total Cholesterol/ HDL Ratio?

This is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol.

Why test Fasting Glucose levels?

Testing blood glucose levels can help identify the inability of certain cells (beta islet cells) to produce insulin, insulin resistance, inability of the intestines to absorb glucose, inability of the liver to accumulate and breakdown glycogen (glycogen is the storage form of glucose in animals and humans and is synthesized and stored mainly in the liver and the muscles) and the presence of an increased level of hormones that may directly influence the liver.

Why test Fasting Insulin ?

Fasting serum insulin above the reference range indicates the insulinaemia (insulin in the circulating blood) associated with insulin insensitivity. Fasting insulin and triglyceride levels best predict insulin sensitivity.

What is the Fasting Insulin Resistance Index ?

This index consists of the plasma insulin and glucose levels in a simple measurement to gauge how insulin resistant a patient is.

When should I consider the Insulin Resistance test ?

This test should be considered if: