This panel contains the following tests:

• Glucose – A snapshot of your glucose level in a fasting state.
• HbA1C – Your average glucose over the last 2-3 months.
• Insulin - A hormone secreted by your pancreas in response to eating carbohydrates - in people with diabetes, insulin does not work optimally to drive glucose into the cells. As a result the pancreas produces more insulin than normal to help keep your glucose in the normal range.
• CBC/Chemistry Panel – Evaluates liver and kidney function along with important cholesterol levels including HDL, LDL and VLDL, plus triglycerides. Diabetes tends to lower "good" cholesterol levels and raise triglyceride and "bad" cholesterol levels, which increases risk for heart disease and stroke.
• Magnesium – Low values may contribute to insulin resistance and poor metabolic function.
• DHEA-S – An important hormone that helps regulate blood glucose levels.
• Cortisol – Chronically elevated levels cause your body to produce glucose and inhibit insulin leaving you in a general insulin-resistant state.
• C-reactive protein (high sensitivity) – A marker of inflammation which increases along with blood sugar dysfunction.

People with diabetes are at significant risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the combination of diabetes and increased lipids accelerates plaque formation in the artery wall.¹ You might be surprised to learn that an estimated 30.2 million people in the United States have diabetes - which is over 9% of our population! Even more startling is the fact that 7.2 million of them are undiagnosed. That means a staggering 23.8% of the US population with diabetes, are unaware they even have diabetes!²

Those are frightening statistics….and accurately testing for blood sugar is like putting pieces of a puzzle together. Many doctors rely on a HbA1C to determine glycemic control in people with diabetes; but, the truth is that not a single test alone is able to capture fasting glucose status, average glucose levels over time, and deadly post meal spikes. That's why the Diabetes Management Profile (Comprehensive) was designed to look at the various aspects of glucose control.

Instructions

This test may be done fasting or 2-6 hours after eating. Both ways provide valuable information, though 2-6 hours after a meal provides a more realistic assessment of the state of your blood in everyday life. Stay hydrated and take your medications as prescribed. If you are supplementing with any hormones, we suggest taking them approximately 2 hours prior to having your blood drawn to see peak levels. Hormones are best drawn between 8-10 AM.

References

1. Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults: Executive Summary of the Third Report of the National
2. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/diagnosed-undiagnosed.html Accessed March 2015
3. Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA 285: 2486–2497, 2001