METS-IR Calculator
METS-IR Calculator
A clamp-validated, insulin-free index of insulin resistance built from glucose, triglycerides, BMI and HDL cholesterol.
METS-IR
Clamp-validated, no insulinFasting glucose 95 mg/dL, fasting triglycerides 150 mg/dL, BMI 28 kg/m², HDL 45 mg/dL
Formula
- G₀, TG, HDL
- fasting glucose, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol, all mg/dL
- BMI
- kg/m²
- structure
- glucose and triglycerides raise the score, HDL and (in the denominator) implicitly lowers it — matching their opposite relationships with insulin resistance
Worked example
Fasting glucose 95 mg/dL, fasting triglycerides 150 mg/dL, BMI 28 kg/m², HDL 45 mg/dL
2 × 95 + 150 = 340
ln(340) = 5.829
5.829 × 28 = 163.21
ln(45) = 3.807
163.21 ÷ 3.807 = 42.9
METS-IR bands
| Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Below 50 | Lower range |
| 50 – 60 | Intermediate |
| Above 60 | Higher range |
Where METS-IR came from and how it compares
METS-IR was derived by fitting fasting glucose, triglycerides, BMI and HDL cholesterol against insulin sensitivity measured directly by the euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp — the reference standard that TyG, TyG-BMI and HOMA-IR are all ultimately validated against too, but that METS-IR was specifically built to approximate as closely as possible using only routine variables. The derivation cohort was Mexican, and the index has since been validated in several other populations as a predictor of incident type 2 diabetes, showing it carries genuine prognostic information rather than only cross-sectional correlation.
Like TyG and TyG-BMI, METS-IR avoids insulin assays entirely, which gives it the same practical advantage of being comparable across laboratories regardless of which insulin immunoassay platform they use. It goes a step further than TyG-BMI by also incorporating HDL cholesterol, which correlates inversely with insulin resistance largely because both track visceral adiposity and hepatic triglyceride handling.
The formula’s structure is worth noting: glucose and triglycerides sit inside the numerator’s logarithm and BMI multiplies it, so all three push the score up as insulin resistance worsens, while HDL sits in the denominator and pulls the score down as it rises — consistent with HDL’s protective association. As with every index in this family, published cut-offs come from specific cohorts and should be read as approximate rather than as fixed diagnostic thresholds.
Frequently asked questions
What does METS-IR stand for?
Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance. It combines fasting glucose, triglycerides, BMI and HDL cholesterol into a single index, without requiring an insulin measurement.
How was METS-IR validated?
It was derived against euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp measurements in a Mexican cohort and has since been validated in other populations as a predictor of incident type 2 diabetes.
Why does METS-IR include HDL cholesterol?
HDL cholesterol correlates inversely with insulin resistance, largely because both track visceral adiposity and hepatic triglyceride handling. Including it improves the index’s correlation with clamp-measured sensitivity.
Does METS-IR need an insulin test?
No. Like TyG and TyG-BMI, it is built entirely from routine glucose, lipid and anthropometric measurements, avoiding the assay-standardisation problems of insulin-based indices.
Related calculators
References
- Bello-Chavolla OY et al. METS-IR: a novel score to evaluate insulin sensitivity in prediction of new-onset diabetes. Eur J Endocrinol. 2018;178(5):533–44.
- Guerrero-Romero F et al. The product of triglycerides and glucose, a simple measure of insulin sensitivity: comparison with the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;95(7):3347–51.