Free Tool · South Asian Cutoffs
HOMA-IR Calculator
Fasting glucose alone stays normal for years while insulin quietly climbs to keep it there. HOMA-IR catches that gap, and it reads differently for South Asians than the range printed on most lab reports.
Quick answer
HOMA-IR is fasting insulin multiplied by fasting glucose, divided by 405 when glucose is in mg/dL. Below 1.0 is optimal, 1.0 to 2.0 is normal, and above roughly 2.0 to 2.5 suggests insulin resistance in South Asians.
You need a fasting insulin value to use it. Most Indian full body packages leave that test out, so it usually has to be asked for by name.
Fasting glucose
The fasting value from your blood report, not a glucometer reading after food.
Fasting insulin
In micro-IU/mL, sometimes printed as uIU/mL or mIU/L. The numbers are the same.
Most Indian full body panels include fasting glucose but leave fasting insulin out. If your report has no insulin value, you cannot calculate this, and it is worth asking for the test by name.
Your HOMA-IR
Consistent with insulin resistance. Common alongside PCOS, fatty liver and a rising waist.
Where the bands sit for South Asians
Western labs often use 2.7 or higher as the cutoff. South Asian cohorts show resistance at lower values and lower BMIs, which is why a normal report can still sit above optimal.
HOMA-IR is a screening estimate from the Matthews 1985 equation, not a diagnosis. It is unreliable in anyone on insulin and in established type 2 diabetes. Take the number to your doctor rather than acting on it alone.
Why Normal Glucose Hides the Problem
Fasting glucose is a lagging indicator. The pancreas protects it, raising insulin output year after year to hold the same reading. By the time glucose finally drifts into the prediabetic range, insulin has often been elevated for a decade. Measuring insulin alongside glucose is what exposes that stretch.
This matters more for Indians than for most populations. South Asians carry more visceral fat and less skeletal muscle at the same BMI, and develop insulin resistance at lower body weights. A 62 kg office worker with a normal report and a 92 cm waist is a common picture in our intake calls.
What Actually Moves the Number
- Strength training. Muscle is the main site of glucose disposal, so adding it raises capacity.
- Visceral fat loss. The fat around the liver and gut drives the resistance, not the fat you can pinch.
- Protein at every meal. It protects muscle while you lose weight, which is the whole point.
- Walking after meals. Cheap, immediate, and it blunts the post meal rise.
- Sleep. A few short nights measurably worsen insulin sensitivity in healthy people.
Cutting carbohydrate lowers the fasting numbers somewhat, but it does not build the capacity to handle them. That is why the people who fix this permanently are almost always the ones who added training rather than the ones who only removed rice.
Read Next
The full explanation of fasting insulin, why lean Indians get caught by it and what to ask your doctor for is in fasting insulin and HOMA-IR in lean Indians. If your waist is the concern, read skinny fat South Asians and the metrics that beat BMI. For PCOS specifically, insulin resistance is the mechanism behind most of the symptoms, covered in the 12 week PCOS plan and the 7 day PCOS diet plan.
To act on it, set a calorie target with the TDEE calculator, a protein target with the protein calculator, and check your waist to height ratio in the body fat calculator.
Free Consultation
This number moves with muscle, not willpower.
Coached strength sessions and an Indian diet built around protein, run online with a nutritionist on the same plan.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How is HOMA-IR calculated?
HOMA-IR equals fasting insulin in micro-IU/mL multiplied by fasting glucose in mg/dL, divided by 405. If your glucose is reported in mmol/L, the same equation divides by 22.5 instead. Both forms come from the Matthews 1985 model and give the same score.
What is a normal HOMA-IR for Indians?
Below 1.0 is optimal and 1.0 to 2.0 is normal. For South Asians, values above about 2.0 to 2.5 suggest insulin resistance, which is lower than the 2.7 to 3.0 cutoffs many Western labs print. South Asians develop insulin resistance at lower body weights, so a report marked normal can still sit above optimal.
Can you be insulin resistant and still be thin?
Yes. Lean insulin resistance is common in Indians and is sometimes called skinny fat or thin outside fat inside. It comes from low muscle mass and fat stored around the liver and abdomen rather than under the skin, so BMI stays normal while HOMA-IR, triglycerides and liver markers rise.
Does HOMA-IR matter for PCOS?
Insulin resistance drives a large share of PCOS symptoms, which is why metformin and weight loss both help. A raised HOMA-IR helps explain why weight is hard to shift and why cycles are irregular. It also predicts who responds best to strength training and a higher protein diet.
How do you lower HOMA-IR?
Building muscle has the strongest effect, because skeletal muscle is where most glucose is disposed of. Strength training two or three days a week, protein at every meal, losing visceral fat, walking after meals and sleeping properly all lower the score. Cutting carbohydrate alone changes the number far less than people expect.