A normal fasting glucose does not always mean normal metabolic health. During early insulin resistance, the pancreas may compensate by producing more insulin, keeping glucose deceptively normal. Measuring fasting insulin alongside glucose may reveal this hidden metabolic stress earlier. Learn why fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, A1c, triglycerides, waist circumference, and other markers can provide a more complete picture of insulin resistance and metabolic health.

Most people associate uric acid with gout, but emerging research suggests it may be far more important. Elevated uric acid has been linked to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, and accelerated aging. While many laboratories consider levels up to 7.0 mg/dL “normal,” evidence suggests that levels below 5.5 mg/dL—and ideally near 5.0 mg/dL—may provide greater protection against vascular injury and chronic disease. U

Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly called fatty liver, is not a liver problem alone—it is a systemic marker of insulin resistance. Often silent for years, MASLD signals elevated cardiometabolic, cognitive, and longevity risk long before abnormal liver enzymes or diabetes appear.