tampaLisa73 said:

Fasting glucose improved within weeks and my HbA1c barely moved for three months, which I now understand and did not at the time.

Insulin sensitivity test (HOMA-IR) on glycaemic control — arguably the most important metabolic marker most people aren't tracking:

HOMA-IR = (fasting insulin × fasting glucose) ÷ 405

My numbers: Baseline HOMA-IR = 5.7 (insulin resistant) → Current = 1.5 (insulin sensitive)

Anything above 2.0 indicates insulin resistance. The goal is below 1.5. GLP-1 agonists address the root metabolic dysfunction, not just the symptoms. This is why they work so much better than calorie restriction alone.

BenResearch_OR said:

Insulin sensitivity test (HOMA-IR) on glycaemic control — arguably the most important metabolic marker most people aren't tracking: HOMA-IR = (fasting…

Fasting insulin is the lab my functional medicine doctor cares about most for glycaemic control: it's a much earlier marker of metabolic dysfunction than glucose or A1C.

My fasting insulin: 24 → 14 → 7 uIU/mL over 9 months. Target is <7. By the time your fasting glucose is elevated, your insulin has been elevated for YEARS trying to compensate.

Ask your doctor to include fasting insulin in your bloodwork panel. It's cheap (~$20) and incredibly informative.

tampaLisa73 said:

Fasting glucose improved within weeks and my HbA1c barely moved for three months, which I now understand and did not at the time.

Mine went the same way, slower. Posting only so the count is not one.

From the other side of the consultation, briefly.

My labs after 6 months on glycaemic control: A1C 5.7%, fasting glucose 92 mg/dL, fasting insulin 5 uIU/mL. My endo says these are "textbook perfect."

For context, my baseline A1C was 7.9% and fasting glucose was 117 mg/dL. The improvement has been dramatic and consistent.