HOMA2 Calculator v2.2.4
For non-commercial use where there has not been significant grant funding.
The HOMA2 Calculator is intended for use by health care professionals to assist in the assessment of beta cell function and insulin sensitivity. It may be of assistance in the management of dysglycaemia or Type 2 diabetes but is not a replacement for formal medical assessment and not intended for use by patients unless in consultation with their trained medical adviser. We are not able to accept any requests for personal use.
About the HOMA2 calculator
The Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) estimates steady state beta cell function (HOMA_%B) and insulin sensitivity (HOMA_%S), as percentages of a normal reference population. The output of the model is calibrated to give a normal beta cell function of 100% and a normal insulin sensitivity of 100%. These measures correspond well, but are not necessarily equivalent, to non-steady state estimates of beta cell function and insulin sensitivity derived from stimulatory models such as the hyperinsulinaemic clamp, the hyperglycaemic clamp, the intravenous glucose tolerance test (acute insulin response, minimal model), and the oral glucose tolerance test (0-30 delta I/G)
In 1976, Robert Turner and Rury Holman developed the concept that fasting plasma insulin and glucose levels were determined, in part, by a hepatic-beta cell feedback loop [Abstract]. They postulated that elevated fasting glucose levels reflected a compensatory mechanism that maintained fasting insulin levels when there was a reduced insulin secretory capacity, and that fasting insulin levels were elevated in direct proportion to diminished insulin sensitivity. A mathematical feedback model based on these hypotheses was constructed to estimate the degrees of beta cell function and insulin sensitivity that would equate to the steady state plasma glucose and insulin levels observed in an individual [Metabolism 1979; 28:1086-96].
In 1985, David Matthews et al published an expanded and more comprehensive structural model known as the Homeostasis Assessment Model (HOMA). This model, written in Fortran, took greater account of peripheral glucose uptake and could use fasting levels of specific insulin or C-peptide in addition to RIA insulin [Diabetologia 1985;28:412-9]. This model consists of a number of complex non-linear empirical equations, describing the functions of organs and tissues involved in glucose regulation, which are solved numerically. As an alternative to running the Fortran computer model, a set of linear equations were also made available that gave approximate values of HOMA_%B and, instead of HOMA_%S, HOMA_IR (insulin resistance) which is the reciprocal of insulin sensitivity (100/HOMA_%S). The equations have been used widely, particularly for estimates of beta cell function and insulin resistance in large-scale studies, but can over or under estimate computationally derived values and are unsuitable for modern insulin and C-peptide assays.
In 1998, Jonathan Levy et al published an updated HOMA model (HOMA2) which took account of variations in hepatic and peripheral glucose resistance, increases in the insulin secretion curve for plasma glucose concentrations >10 mmol/L (>180 mg/dL) and the contribution of circulating proinsulin [Diabetes Care 1998;21:2191-92]. The model was recalibrated also to give HOMA2_%B and HOMA2_%S values of 100% in normal young adults when using currently available assays for insulin, specific insulin or C-peptide.
In 2004, a HOMA software implementation, the HOMA2 Calculator, was released. This provides quick and easy access to the HOMA2 model for researchers who wish to use model-derived estimates of HOMA2_%B. HOMA2_%S, and HOMA2_IR rather than linear approximations. It runs on a variety of computer platforms and is available for commercial and non-commercial use.
Potential applications
- Estimating Insulin resistance and sensitivity
- Estimating beta cell function
- Monitoring response to drug treatments and interventions
- Files provided
- Standalone HOMA calculator desktop application (for windows or Macintosh), for single individual
- Microsoft Excel spreadsheet implementation, for multiple individuals
- Applications Programming implementation (API), encapsulating the HOMA2 calculator as an ActiveX module or DLL on Windows, or as a shared library on Macintosh, for incorporation into other software packages.
The API tool is not provided as standard and so if it is required, please reach out.
- Additional Information
Published papers, conference abstracts and more information about the HOMA calculator is available on the Publications page of the website.
The model is available as a standalone desktop application for Windows or Mac.
An API for the software is available to licence upon request, please select this through the application process.
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions before contacting for technical information.