# Fasting insulin {% hint style="danger" %} This test cannot be completed via a mobile collection service. {% endhint %} **Fasting insulin** levels measure the amount of insulin in your blood after you've fasted for at least 8 hours. These levels are crucial for understanding your body's insulin sensitivity and risk for developing insulin resistance, a condition where your cells become less responsive to insulin. Insulin resistance is associated with aging and can lead to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other age-related disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. Interestingly, epidemiological studies have found that individuals with lower fasting insulin levels and higher insulin sensitivity, such as centenarians, often exhibit increased longevity. This suggests that maintaining lower fasting insulin levels through lifestyle choices like diet, exercise, and possibly intermittent fasting could support healthier aging and extend lifespan. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.beoptimal.ca/biomarker-panels/focused-longevity-panel/fasting-insulin.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.