Prediabetic and scared - will this actually prevent diabetes? — need advice

JessicaH_TX said:

HbA1c reflects roughly three months of average glycaemia weighted toward the most recent weeks, which is why repeating it at six weeks tells you very…

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: 29 → 13 → 6 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.

A narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:

Was that from a primary source or from a summary of one?

PharmacoVig_BOS said:

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

My labs after 12 months on glycaemic control: A1C 5.3%, fasting glucose 78 mg/dL, fasting insulin 7 uIU/mL. My endo says these are "textbook perfect."

For context, my baseline A1C was 7.1% and fasting glucose was 113 mg/dL. The improvement has been dramatic and consistent.

PharmacoVig_BOS said:

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

Complete metabolic panel trending on glycaemic control — sharing because comprehensive data helps everyone:

The insulin resistance improvement (HOMA-IR) is what my endo focuses on most. Going from 5.5 to near 1.0 is a metabolic transformation.

Dr.ObesityMed said:

My labs after 12 months on glycaemic control: A1C 5.3%, fasting glucose 78 mg/dL, fasting insulin 7 uIU/mL.

PCOS success story with glycaemic control: as someone with polycystic ovary syndrome, this medication has been transformative beyond weight loss.

After 12 months: periods became regular for the first time in ever, testosterone levels normalized, acne cleared significantly, and — unexpectedly — my hormonal symptoms have almost completely resolved.

GLP-1 agonists address the insulin resistance at the root of PCOS. For PCOS patients, this isn't "just" a weight loss drug — it's treating our underlying metabolic dysfunction.