A Marker of Hope in Diabetes

Your C-peptide level could tell whether your pancreas still produces insulin.

C-peptide is formed when your body makes insulin naturally, even in small amounts. This is different from insulin being injected or inhaled in the form of medicine. A C-peptide test therefore distinguishes between insulin which your body produces and that injected or inhaled. It therefore tells the physician more than what the usual blood glucose tests do.

Perhaps you have diabetes because you are obese, and can make do with whatever insulin your body is able to produce, just by losing weight. That should be additional incentive to stay with your prescribed diet and exercise program!

The role of C-peptide is not fully known, but it has been shown to halt the progress of neuropathy in the feet of people with diabetes. Perhaps we will have a medicine made one day made of C-peptide. However, keeping tabs on how much of this mysterious substance is in your blood could tell you whether you can hope to rely on your pancreas, and perhaps cut back or cut out medication prescriptions, simply by losing weight.

How much C-peptide do you have?