ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Disposition index

Imagine you have a piggy bank where you save your money. Every time you put money in, your piggy bank gets fuller. But what happens if you keep putting money in, but the piggy bank starts to have a bunch of holes in it? The money starts to leak out, and soon, your piggy bank isn't as full as you thought it would be.

Your body works kind of like that too when it comes to insulin and glucose, which are both very important for your body to work properly. Insulin is like the money, and glucose is like the piggy bank. When you eat food, your body turns it into glucose, which is stored in your body's cells for energy later on. Insulin is what helps take that glucose from your blood and into your cells.

But sometimes, the insulin doesn't work as well as it should. Maybe there's too much glucose in your blood, or your cells aren't responding to the insulin properly. This can lead to something called insulin resistance.

The disposition index is a way to measure how well your body is able to deal with glucose and insulin. It looks at how much insulin your body is making, as well as how well your cells are able to respond to that insulin. The more insulin your body makes and the better your cells respond to it, the higher your disposition index will be.

Think of it like this: if your piggy bank has a bunch of holes in it, your disposition index is low. But if your piggy bank is able to hold onto all the money you put in, your disposition index is high. This is important because a low disposition index is often seen in people with certain health conditions, like type 2 diabetes. By measuring your disposition index, doctors can get a better idea of how well your body is able to manage glucose and insulin, and help you stay healthy.