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HOMA-β Calculator

Enter your fasting insulin and fasting glucose to estimate HOMA-β.

How it is calculated

The estimate uses one fasting insulin value and one fasting glucose value: HOMA-β (%) = 20 × insulin ÷ (glucose − 3.5). Insulin must be in µU/mL and glucose in mmol/L. If your lab reports glucose in mg/dL, divide it by about 18 first. The result is shown with one decimal. If glucose is 3.5 mmol/L or lower the denominator would be zero or negative, so the tool returns no result, and so it does for insulin at or below zero. The tool labels the result against its own band: below 50 as below the typical range, 50 to 150 as within it, and above 150 as above it. These bands are rough guides. The calculation is a screening estimate, not a diagnosis.

Worked example

Fasting insulin 8 µU/mL and fasting glucose 5.2 mmol/L. Numerator: 20 × 8 = 160. Denominator: 5.2 − 3.5 = 1.7. Result: 160 ÷ 1.7 = 94.1, shown as 94.1 %, which the tool places within the typical reference range.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering glucose in mg/dL. A value such as 94 is read as 94 mmol/L and gives a tiny result; convert to mmol/L first (divide by about 18).
  • Entering insulin in pmol/L instead of µU/mL. The two scales differ by a factor of about 6, so convert before using the formula.
  • Using non-fasting samples. The formula is built for fasting values, and a sample taken after eating will distort the result.
  • Entering a glucose at or below 3.5 mmol/L and expecting a number. The formula breaks down there, so the tool shows nothing.
  • Reading one result as a verdict on beta-cell health. A single sample varies from day to day, and the result is best read together with other tests by a clinician.

Sources

About this calculator

HOMA-β (Homeostatic Model Assessment of beta-cell function) is a formula developed by Matthews et al. in 1985 that estimates what percentage of normal insulin-secreting capacity a person’s pancreatic beta cells are producing, using only two fasting blood values: HOMA-β = (20 × fasting insulin [μU/mL]) / (fasting glucose [mmol/L] − 3.5), expressed as a percentage where 100% represents a young, healthy reference population.

Because it needs just a single fasting insulin and fasting glucose draw rather than a multi-hour oral glucose tolerance test, HOMA-β is widely used in diabetes and endocrinology research (often alongside HOMA-IR, which estimates insulin resistance from the same two values) to track beta-cell function over time or across study groups. It is a research and screening estimate, not a diagnostic test on its own, and results should always be interpreted by a clinician alongside other measures. This calculator applies the formula to the fasting insulin and glucose values you enter.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    Notice how strongly the result depends on glucose, because the formula subtracts 3.5 from it. Keeping insulin at 8, a glucose of 5.0 gives 106.7%, 5.5 gives 80.0% and 6.0 gives 64.0%. A small difference in a fasting reading, including rounding of a mg/dL value to mmol/L, can therefore move the percentage a lot. Treat it as a rough research estimate and let a clinician interpret it. Which units does your lab report glucose in?

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