Dr.NateNeph said:

Fasting insulin is the lab my functional medicine doctor cares about most for glycaemic control: it's a much earlier marker of metabolic dysfunction…

Glycemic variability as the key metric for glycaemic control success: my coefficient of variation (CV) on CGM dropped from 37% to 18%. Target is <36%, with <30% being ideal.

Why this matters more than average glucose: large glucose swings cause oxidative stress, endothelial damage, and promote advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). A flat glucose line at 95 mg/dL is metabolically healthier than oscillating between 60 and 160, even if the average is the same.

steph_laguna said:

A1C went from 7.4 to 5.6 over nine months and my prescriber was more interested in the fasting insulin, which I did not expect.

My labs after 12 months on glycaemic control: A1C 5.9%, fasting glucose 94 mg/dL, fasting insulin 7 uIU/mL. My endo says these are "textbook perfect."

For context, my baseline A1C was 8.3% and fasting glucose was 119 mg/dL. The improvement has been dramatic and consistent.

LibrarianMeg said:

Glycemic variability as the key metric for glycaemic control success: my coefficient of variation (CV) on CGM dropped from 37% to 18%.

PCOS success story with glycaemic control: as someone with polycystic ovary syndrome, this medication has been transformative beyond weight loss.

After 9 months: periods became regular for the first time in ever, testosterone levels normalized, acne cleared significantly, and — unexpectedly — my hormonal symptoms have almost completely resolved.

GLP-1 agonists address the insulin resistance at the root of PCOS. For PCOS patients, this isn't "just" a weight loss drug — it's treating our underlying metabolic dysfunction.

One thing that is still open after NurseAsh_DET’s answer:

Was that from a primary source or from a summary of one?

DebRD_ATL said:

PCOS success story with glycaemic control: as someone with polycystic ovary syndrome, this medication has been transformative beyond weight loss.

Complete metabolic panel trending on glycaemic control — sharing because comprehensive data helps everyone:

The insulin resistance improvement (HOMA-IR) is what my endo focuses on most. Going from 5.5 to near 1.0 is a metabolic transformation.