The bands on this page
| Result | What it is called here |
|---|---|
| under 4.49 | Insulin sensitive |
| 4.49 to 4.68 | Borderline |
| over 4.68 | Insulin resistance likely |
What goes in, and where each number comes from
Every input is a real test. Follow one to see its normal range, its optimal range and what moves it — the calculation is only as good as the numbers you feed it.
What it costs to actually get these numbers
| The 2 tests on their own | $16.20 |
| The cheapest panel that covers them — The Basics — Start Here (4 markers) | $32.40 |
Prices are Marek Diagnostics with the 10% code already applied, and they are what was filed when this page was built — check the cart. Ordering through these links pays a commission at no cost to you.
What could have moved the measurement, not the marker
A wrong number and a real change look identical on a report. These are the reasons a result here can be an artifact of how the blood was drawn or run, and they are worth ruling out before anything else.
Red cells rupturing in the tube spill their contents into the serum. Potassium, LDH, AST and magnesium are far higher inside cells than outside, so a hemolyzed sample reports them falsely high. Caused by a difficult draw, a narrow needle, or shaking the tube.
What to do: The lab usually flags it. If your result is odd and the report mentions hemolysis, that is your answer — repeat the draw.
Clenching your fist pumps potassium out of muscle and can raise a measured potassium enough to trigger a false alarm. A long tourniquet concentrates protein, calcium and everything protein-bound.
What to do: Do not pump your fist. Ask for the tourniquet to come off early. An isolated high potassium with no symptoms is usually this.
Triglycerides rise substantially after eating; total and HDL cholesterol barely move. Because LDL is usually calculated from triglycerides, a non-fasted draw distorts the LDL too — and the error is worst in exactly the people with high triglycerides.
What to do: Fast 10–12 hours if LDL matters. Guidelines increasingly accept non-fasting lipids, but be consistent between tests.
Lower HDL substantially, and oral 17-alpha-alkylated compounds do so dramatically.
What to do: Expect it on TRT; note it rather than being alarmed by it in isolation.
4 more interferences are listed on the marker pages themselves: Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) · Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP).