Own Insulin?

[anneli]

Hi,

When I first was diagnosed in -98 I was 24 and the doctor said that it was unusual for someone that young to get diabetes type 2 and that he wanted to take one more tests to see how much own Insulin I had.

A month ago I asked a diabetes nurse if it was possible to see how much own Insulin one has and she said no.

My question is, can you see how much Insulin you are producing? Maybe the first doctor I had just put it wrongly?

Thanks

 

[Northerner]

Hi anneli, welcome to the forum 🙂 Yes, it is possible to see how much of your own insulin you are producing - the test is called the C-peptide test. Our pancreas produces something called proinsulin which splits into insulin and C-peptide in equal quantities, so by measuring the amount of C-peptide present, the amount of insulin can also be measured 🙂

 

[DeusXM]

I personally think c-peptide testing for T2s should be mandatory. There is an extremely compelling theory that suggests the reason T2 is associated with being overweight is not because people with T2 have eaten too much, but because they produce too much insulin which while being inefficient at processing glucose is very efficient at inhibiting fat metabolism and promoting fat storage. In other words, being overweight could very probably be a symptom rather than a cause of T2. A c-peptide test linked to an 'average' index for non-D would then show each person with T2 whether they were actually overproducing insulin, which would mean their diet and medication could be much more intelligently targeted.

 

[Northerner]

I personally think c-peptide testing for T2s should be mandatory. There is an extremely compelling theory that suggests the reason T2 is associated with being overweight is not because people with T2 have eaten too much, but because they produce too much insulin which while being inefficient at processing glucose is very efficient at inhibiting fat metabolism and promoting fat storage. In other words, being overweight could very probably be a symptom rather than a cause of T2. A c-peptide test linked to an 'average' index for non-D would then show each person with T2 whether they were actually overproducing insulin, which would mean their diet and medication could be much more intelligently targeted.

They did actually do this for a person on a telly show the other day - Embarrassing Fat Bodies I think. The person wasn't diabetic but the test showed that she was producing more insulin than normal (my consultant told me a healthy non-D pancreas produces about 20 units a day), so they said she was at high risk of developing T2.

 

[trophywench]

Precisely! and Hear Hear.

Hyperinsulinemia, is it?

 

[Vicsetter]

Made me wonder how much does it cost to do a c-peptide test. Don't know what the NHS pays but MediChecks will do one for ?139 (discounted from ?179), whereas the lipid profile (LDL, HDL, Trig )test is ?79 discounted from ?99, whereas the standard total cholesterol test is ?49. WHich is probably why you normally get the ?49 job.