HOMA-IR Calculator (Insulin Resistance)
Find out if your body is becoming resistant to insulin — years before diabetes shows up.
HOMA-IR estimates how resistant your body is to insulin using two fasting blood values. High insulin resistance can precede type 2 diabetes by 10–15 years — long before your glucose looks abnormal.
Enter your values above to see your result.
Formula
HOMA-IR = (glucose [mg/dL] × insulin [µU/mL]) / 405
How it is calculated
HOMA-IR uses your fasting glucose and fasting insulin to estimate how hard your pancreas is working to keep blood sugar normal.
A value under 2 generally reflects good insulin sensitivity. As the number rises, your cells respond less to insulin, quietly driving fat storage, fatty liver and eventually type 2 diabetes.
Its power is timing: fasting insulin rises years before fasting glucose does. Someone can have "normal" glucose and still be deep in insulin resistance.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good HOMA-IR value?
Below 2 is generally good. 2–2.9 suggests early resistance; 3 or higher points to probable insulin resistance.
Why not just glucose?
Glucose can stay normal for years while insulin is already high. Fasting insulin reveals the problem far earlier.
Scientific references
- Matthews DR et al. Homeostasis model assessment. Diabetologia 1985;28:412-9
- Wallace TM et al. Use and abuse of HOMA modeling. Diabetes Care 2004;27:1487-95
Educational tool — does not replace medical advice. Discuss your results with your doctor.