Mechanism of Action
Insulin Sensitization
Last updated
Improving how strongly tissues respond to insulin, so that a given amount of insulin moves more glucose out of the blood. It is measured indirectly in most studies, through fasting insulin and glucose, calculated indices such as HOMA-IR, or directly with a clamp study. The mechanism describes the tissue response, not the amount of insulin the pancreas produces.
Why it matters here
This is one of the few mechanisms tied to a lab value a reader can find on an ordinary blood panel, which makes it unusually checkable. It also makes the difference between a clamp study and a calculated index worth reading before trusting a number.
What it is not
Insulin sensitisation is not insulin secretion: a compound that makes the pancreas release more insulin is doing something different from one that makes tissue respond better. Insulin sensitivity is also an alias on our Metabolic Health outcome; one field holds the mechanism, the other the reported result.
Also called
- insulin sensitivity
- insulin sensitization
- glucose disposal improvement
- improves insulin signalling
Glucose disposal refers to how quickly glucose leaves the bloodstream and enters tissue. It is the quantity most sensitivity measures are built on, not a separate mechanism.
Compounds carrying this term
None on file yet. This term is in the controlled vocabulary but no compound record currently uses it — which is a statement about our coverage, not about the term.