The Cardio IQ Insulin Resistance Panel with Score is a proprietary Quest Diagnostics composite assessment that integrates multiple metabolic markers—including fasting insulin, glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and adiponectin—to generate a quantitative insulin resistance score. This panel provides a more comprehensive evaluation of insulin sensitivity than fasting glucose or insulin alone, helping to identify individuals at elevated cardiometabolic risk before overt type 2 diabetes develops. The composite score is derived from validated algorithms and is intended to stratify risk for insulin resistance-related cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Insulin resistance occurs when peripheral tissues—particularly skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue—exhibit diminished responsiveness to insulin signaling, requiring the pancreatic beta cells to secrete increasing amounts of insulin to maintain euglycemia. This compensatory hyperinsulinemia drives a cascade of adverse metabolic effects including dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides, reduced HDL), endothelial dysfunction, systemic inflammation, and accelerated atherosclerosis. Adiponectin, an adipokine inversely correlated with visceral adiposity and insulin resistance, is incorporated into the panel as a sensitive early marker of metabolic dysregulation.
This panel measures how well your body responds to insulin, a hormone that helps control blood sugar. When the body becomes resistant to insulin, it has to produce more and more of it to keep blood sugar normal, which can strain the heart and blood vessels over time. The test combines several different measurements—including blood sugar, insulin levels, fats in the blood, and a protein called adiponectin—to give an overall score of your insulin resistance. A higher score means your body may be struggling to use insulin efficiently, which can raise your risk for conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity, and body weight have a strong influence on this score.
When elevated: A high insulin resistance score indicates significant impairment in insulin sensitivity and is associated with elevated risk for type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Compensatory hyperinsulinemia may be present, and the lipid profile often reflects atherogenic dyslipidemia. Clinical correlation with body composition, blood pressure, and additional metabolic markers is warranted. When low: A low insulin resistance score suggests preserved insulin sensitivity and is generally associated with favorable cardiometabolic risk. Low scores are consistent with normal glucose homeostasis, healthy adipokine levels, and a lipid profile less associated with atherogenic risk. However, a low score does not exclude all cardiovascular risk, and comprehensive risk assessment should still be performed.
Insulin resistance can impair athletic performance by reducing glucose uptake in muscle during and after training, compromising energy availability and recovery. For endurance and strength athletes, this panel helps identify early metabolic dysfunction that may limit aerobic capacity, delay recovery, or increase injury risk—particularly relevant for those with high training volumes or rapid body composition changes.
Turnaround Time
11 days (up to 14 days)
Fasting Required
No
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Your price
$70.00$125
1.8× less than retail
Versus the typical direct-to-consumer retail price for this test (illustrative — consumer prices vary by provider and region).
$70.00
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