Hormonal
Elevated plasma alpha-hydroxybutyrate (a-HB) serves as an early, independent biomarker for identifying insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance in nondiabetic individuals, preceding clinical diagnosis.
If you are nondiabetic but concerned about metabolic health, standard glucose tests might miss early insulin resistance. Research indicates that measuring alpha-hydroxybutyrate (a-HB) in fasting plasma can identify insulin resistance and glucose intolerance earlier than standard tests, independent of BMI and age. This biomarker reflects underlying oxidative stress and lipid oxidation associated with insulin resistance.
a-hydroxybutyrate is an early marker for both insulin resistance and impaired glucose regulation. ... a-HB also separated subjects with normal glucose tolerance from those with impaired fasting glycemia or impaired glucose tolerance independently of, and in an additive fashion to, insulin resistance.
Why this rating
Large cohort (n=399), gold-standard measurement (clamp), and statistical rigor, though it is an observational association study.
Source
α-Hydroxybutyrate Is an Early Biomarker of Insulin Resistance and Glucose Intolerance in a Nondiabetic Population
Walter Gall et al. · PLoS ONE · 2010
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0010883
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