Tools / Calculator · Matthews et al., 1985
Two fasting numbers,
one insulin-resistance index.
HOMA-IR estimates insulin resistance from fasting glucose and fasting insulin. It is cheap, widely used in research, and reasonable for tracking change over time in the same person. The cut-offs are not standardised, which the result below says plainly.
HOMA-IR
— —Glucose used—
Insulin used—
Commonly quoted bands, not a diagnosis. Track your own number over time.
How it’s calculated
HOMA-IR = fasting glucose (mg/dL) × fasting insulin (µIU/mL) ÷ 405 = fasting glucose (mmol/L) × fasting insulin (µIU/mL) ÷ 22.5 Matthews et al., 1985
Assumptions and limits
- Both values must be from the same fasting draw (8 to 12 hours).
- Bands shown are those most commonly quoted in the literature (optimal under 1.0; early resistance above 1.9; significant above 2.9). They vary by population and assay and are not a diagnostic threshold.
- HOMA-IR is unreliable in people on insulin and in type 1 diabetes.
Read this first
This tool does arithmetic on numbers you enter. It is not a diagnosis, a prescription or a treatment recommendation. Take the result to a licensed clinician.
References
- Challenges in the diagnosis of insulin resistance: Focusing on the role of HOMA-IR and Tryglyceride/glucose index.Diabetes Metab Syndr 2022.PubMed 35939943 · doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2022.102581
- Homeostasis model assessment: insulin resistance and beta-cell function from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in man.Diabetologia 1985.PubMed 3899825 · doi:10.1007/BF00280883
- Effects of green coffee extract on fasting blood glucose, insulin concentration and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR): a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies.Diabetol Metab Syndr 2019.PubMed 31709016 · doi:10.1186/s13098-019-0489-8
- Optimal cut-off values for the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and pre-diabetes screening: Developments in research and prospects for the future.Drug Discov Ther 2015.PubMed 26781921 · doi:10.5582/ddt.2015.01207
- Understanding Insulin Resistance in NAFLD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Focused on HOMA-IR in South Asians.Cureus 2024.PubMed 39364176 · doi:10.7759/cureus.70768
- Prognostic Value of Insulin Resistance Assessed by HOMA-IR in Non-Diabetic Patients with Decompensated Heart Failure.Curr Probl Cardiol 2023.PubMed 35007641 · doi:10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2022.101112
Literature retrieved from PubMed on October 18, 2026, favouring human studies and reviews. Numbered markers in the text show which paper supports which statement; uncited entries are background reading.