All Tests, General Health
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Insulin Resistance Test

Understand how your body responds to insulin and take steps to help prevent type 2 diabetes.

The Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance (LP-IR) Test provides an advanced look at your metabolic health by estimating your body’s response to insulin, a hormone that helps control blood sugar. It looks at patterns in blood fats (lipoproteins) and gives you a score from 0 to 100. A lower score suggests better insulin response, while a higher score suggests more insulin resistance. This score may help identify risk for type 2 diabetes early, even before blood sugar changes. This insight empowers you and your healthcare provider to take proactive steps toward prevention and better health.

$ 89.0
$89
Insulin Resistance Test
$ 89.0
$89

Test Details

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Sample Type: Blood
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Collection Method: In person at a Labcorp location
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Age: 18-100
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Results: 1-2 days from when your sample arrives at our lab
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HSA/FSA: Accepted
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Test must be taken by purchaser

Preparation: Fast for 8 hours (no food or drink, except water) before sample collection.

What's Tested
  • Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance (LP-IR) Score

    The LP-IR Score is based on analyzing specific lipoprotein particle concentrations and sizes. These particles carry fats and cholesterol in your blood, and changes in their patterns can signal an early sign of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means your body’s cells are less responsive to insulin, making it harder to regulate blood sugar and increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic conditions. Insulin sensitivity is the opposite, meaning your cells respond well to insulin, allowing efficient blood sugar control. A lower LP-IR score suggests better insulin sensitivity, while a higher score indicates increased insulin resistance.

Why Consider This Test

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Detect insulin resistance early

Insulin resistance often develops silently, without obvious symptoms. This test may find early signs of insulin resistance before blood sugar or A1C levels are high.

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Gain insight into your metabolic health

Your LP-IR score offers a deeper understanding of how your body responds to insulin, beyond what standard glucose tests reveal. The insulin resistance test may help guide lifestyle changes like diet and exercise to improve metabolic health.

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Make informed health decisions

Whether you’re managing weight, monitoring prediabetes, or aiming to help prevent diabetes, insulin resistance testing provides actionable insights for you and your healthcare provider to create a personalized plan.

References:

1. Labcorp. Insulin. Test 004333. Updated 2024. Accessed September 12, 2025. https://www.labcorp.com/tests/004333/insulin

2. UC Davis Health. Insulin resistance: causes, symptoms, and treatment. Updated November 8, 2023. Accessed September 12, 2025. https://health.ucdavis.edu/conditions/endocrinology-diabetes/insulin-resistance

3. American Diabetes Association. Insulin resistance. Accessed December 16, 2025. https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/insulin-resistance

4. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Prediabetes and insulin resistance. Accessed December 16, 2025. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance

How It Works

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Purchase Your Test

Simply purchase this test online. A healthcare provider will review and approve your test requests; no healthcare provider visit is required.

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Provide Your Sample

Visit a Labcorp location near you for sample collection. Visits may be scheduled online.

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Get Your Results

View your easy-to-read results online in your Labcorp Patient™ account, including Linked Accounts. For certain results that require prompt attention, you will also be contacted by phone or mail.

Patient Service Centers

Labs in more than 2,000 locations across the country.

Find a Location Near You
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Frequently Bought Together

What is insulin resistance?


Find out how impaired insulin function affects health and the steps you can take to address this concern effectively.

Read More
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FAQ

  • Your LP-IR score ranges from 0 (most insulin sensitive) to 100 (most insulin resistant) and estimates how resistant your body is to insulin. A lower score means your body is more sensitive to insulin, while a higher score suggests increased insulin resistance and a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

  • The LP-IR test is one of the most advanced ways to detect insulin resistance early. It analyzes lipoprotein particles in your blood to provide a score that reflects your insulin sensitivity, even before glucose levels become abnormal.


    Purchase the Insulin Restance test today and gain insights into your metabolic health.

  • No, this insulin test does not measure fasting insulin directly. Instead, it analyzes lipoprotein particle patterns to estimate insulin resistance, offering a more predictive view of your insulin resistance risk and metabolic health.

  • The LP-IR test estimates insulin resistance by analyzing lipoprotein particle patterns in your blood, providing a score from 0 to 100. This test may help detect insulin resistance before blood sugar or insulin levels become abnormal. A fasting insulin test, on the other hand, measures the amount of insulin in your blood after fasting. While fasting insulin gives a snapshot of current insulin levels, the insulin resistance test offers a more predictive view of long-term insulin sensitivity, and a high LP-IR score may predict diabetes risk.
     

    The LP-IR test estimates risk and may detect insulin resistance earlier than traditional glucose tests. The LP-IR score should be interpreted alongside other measures, like fasting glucose, A1C, and clinical risk factors.

  • Anyone concerned about metabolic health may benefit from checking insulin resistance risk—especially if you have risk factors such as family history of diabetes, excess weight, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, physical inactivity, or symptoms like fatigue and difficulty losing weight. Insulin resistance can develop even if your blood sugar is normal.

  • Insulin resistance happens when your body’s cells don’t respond well to insulin, making it harder for glucose (sugar) to enter cells for energy. This can lead to higher glucose levels and increase the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes over time.
     

    Insulin sensitivity is the opposite. It measures how effectively your cells respond to insulin. High insulin sensitivity means your body needs only a small amount of insulin to manage blood sugar, which is generally a sign of good metabolic health.
     

    The LP-IR (Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance) test provides a scientific way to assess your level of insulin resistance. It uses advanced lipoprotein particle measurements to estimate how resistant or sensitive your body is to insulin.
     

    • A lower LP-IR score suggests better insulin sensitivity.
    • A higher LP-IR score suggests greater insulin resistance.
       

    Understanding your LP-IR score can help you and your healthcare provider take proactive steps to improve metabolic health and reduce future risk of diabetes and heart disease.

  • Your testing will be performed in a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory. Labcorp provides leading-edge medical laboratory tests and services through a national network of primary clinical laboratories and specialty testing laboratories. Our labs perform regular quality assurance testing to ensure our results are accurate.

  • Your results will be provided to you through our secure online portal to view or print. Results are also made available through a secure portal to the independent healthcare provider who placed your test order.  If you are accessing your results through your Labcorp Patient™ account, all users linked to the account will have access to all OnDemand test results. Results may also be provided to a local, state, and/or federal health authority; for example, many states require the testing laboratory and physician to report test results for certain communicable diseases, such as COVID-19, to local or state health departments.  

     

    If you have questions or comments regarding the Labcorp Notice of Privacy Practices, or have a complaint about our use or disclosure of your PHI or our privacy practices, please contact: privacyofficer@labcorp.com, call us at (877) 234-4722 (877-23-HIPAA) and ask for the Labcorp HIPAA Privacy Officer, or send a written request to: HIPAA Privacy Officer, Labcorp, 531 South Spring Street, Burlington, NC 27215. You also may file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Visit the Labcorp OnDemand® website to browse and purchase laboratory tests and create your Labcorp Patient™ account to view your results. All Labcorp OnDemand testing requires an order from an authorized healthcare professional. For your convenience, Labcorp OnDemand has contracted with independent professional entities (collectively, Providers) to deliver healthcare provider services. Visit a Labcorp location for sample collection; or, if using an at-home collection kit, collect your sample yourself. We’ll let you know when your results are ready and can be accessed through your Labcorp Patient™ account.

  • To align with clinical best practices, we’ve set an age maximum of 100 for consumer-initiated testing. This limit was set to encourage individuals in more advanced age groups - who may have complex medical needs - to receive personalized guidance about testing from their healthcare providers.

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