How To Interpret Your Blood Test Results

Essential Blood Tests To Get Annually

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Disclaimer: Not medical advice. The following information is for educational purposes only.

This will be a basic cheat sheet of how to interpret your blood test results with some tips. Reference ranges are based on the average person. Unfortunately, the average person today is not very healthy, so in some cases, the ranges provided on lab tests are either too low, or too wide. I’ve provided ideal ranges where possible.

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There are many nuances when it comes to interpreting blood test results. Make sure to check with a qualified professional before making any changes to your nutrition/lifestyle, and especially before taking any supplements. For example:

Someone may have low red blood cell figures → prompting some to think the solution is to increase iron intake
Yet their iron, ferritin levels are all high
This could be a case where someone has thalassemia, and increasing iron could be harmful

There are many other scenarios like this.

1. CBC (Complete Blood Count):

White Blood Cells indicate immune system health and helps identify infections, inflammation, immune disorders, bone marrow issues, etc when values are out of range.

White Blood Cells (WBC) / Leukocyte: should all be in range
Neutrophils: common in bacterial infections, inflammation, thyroid disorder when out of range.
Lymphocytes: common in viral (virus) infections, parasites, chronic stress, hormonal imbalance when out of range
Monocytes: common in viral (virus) infections, parasteis, fungus, bacterial infections, chronic stress, liver dysfunction, autoimmunity when out of range
Eosinophils: normally allergies, intestinal parasites, fungus/mold, exposure to radiation or toxins when out of range
Basonophils: hypothyroidism, intestinal parasites, autoimmunity, blood cancer when out of range

Red Blood Cells reflect your cells oxygen-carrying abilities, ensuring sufficient oxygen is circulating throughout the body. Low RBC values are indicative of anemia, dehydration, nutrient deficiencies,thyroid issues, bone marrow disorders and more.

Red Blood Cells (RBC) and all related below: should all be within range.
Hemoglobin (HB): Carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Hematocrit (PCV): The percentage of red blood cells in your blood.
MCV: Average size of red blood cells
MCH: Average amount of hemoglobin in each red blood cell
MCHC: Average concentration of hemoglobin in red blood cells.
RDW: Measures the variation in size of red blood cells.

2. Complete Metabolic Panel (CMP):

Electrolytes:

Sodium → low levels indicate hyponatremia (causing symptoms like headache, nausea, confusion, fatigue, muscle cramps and spasms).
Potassium, Chloride, CO2 → all should be within range

Kidney Function:

Low BUN → need more protein in diet
BUN/Creatinine Ratio → Above 15 indicates cellular dehydration. Reduce technology and artificial lights, increase time outdoors and in nature.
Uric Acid → if this is high, it’s usually an excess carb/insulin resistance issue
Low Urea or Creatinine → malnutrition

Liver Function:

AST & ALT → Ideally should be under 20. If elevated and out of range, check AST:ALT ratio here https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/ast-alt-ratio
GGT, Albumin, Bilirubin, Globulin, ALP, Total Protein → Make sure they’re all within range
Albumin/Globulin Ratio: Range should be 1.2 - 2.5

Blood Sugar:

Glucose/Blood Glucose: Less than 100 (ideally under 90)

3. Lipid Panel (Cholesterol Panel):

Total Cholesterol (mg/dL): 160 - 240 is good (a study on 12.8 million adults found those who lived longest had cholesterol levels between 210-250 mg/dL)
Triglyceride (mg/dL): Less than 100 (ideally under 95)
HDL (mg/dL): Men: → Under 40 (1.0 mmol/L) - at risk → 60 or above (1.5 mmol/L) - desirable → 80 or above (2.0 mmol/L) - optimal Women: → Less than 50 (1.3 mmol/L) - at risk → 60 or above (1.5 mmol/L) - desirable → 80 or above (2.0 mmol/L) - optimal
Triglyceride/HDL ratio: a helpful indicator for cardiovascular risk. Ratio of 1:1 → Excellent Ratio of 2:1 → Good Ratio of 3:1 → Moderate risk Ratio of 4:1 → High risk

4. Key Nutrients:

Vitamin D: 50+ ng/mL at an absolute minimum. Ideally 60+
B12: Minimum 400 pg/mL
Others: keep within range

5. Iron Panel:

Transferrin Saturation: 30% - 40%
Ferritin: at least 60 ng/mL. 100 - 150 is ideal
Iron: Keep to the lower end of the reference range

6. Thyroid Panel:

TSH: 1.0-2.5 mlU/L is the ideal range
Free T4: 1.1-1.5 ng/dL is the ideal range
Free T3: 3.0-3.7 pg/mL is the ideal range

7. Cardiovascular Risk Markers:

hs-CRP (inflammation): Less than 1 mg/L
Homocysteine (cardiovascular): Less than 15 µmol/L is fine.

8. Metabolic Health Markers:

HbA1c: 5.7% or less
Fasting Insulin: 6 or under
eGFR: 90ml /min or more

9. Hormone Panel:

👨 Men:

Testosterone - Total (ng/dL):

Very low: <300
Low: 300 - 500
Average: 500 - 650
Good: 650 - 800
High: 800 - 1000
Very High: 1,000+

Testosterone - Free (ng/dL):

Low: Below 18 ng/dL
Good: 18 - 24
Optimal: 24+

Estradiol (E2):

Too Low: <12-15 pg/mL
Optimal: 20 - 45
Too high: >50-70

SHBG: ideally 15 - 40 nmol/L
DHEA-S: ideally 136 - 475.2 ug/dL (depends on age)
Prolactin: Less than 18 ng/mL. The lower the better for men.
LH & FSH: ideally 3 - 10 mIU/L

👩‍🦰 Women: When doing a blood test, make sure to note where you are in your cycle (Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulation, or Luteal Phase).

Testosterone - Total: range: 15 - 70 ng/dL (higher could indicate PCOS)
Testosterone - Free: range: 0.3 - 1.9 ng/dL (higher could indicate PCOS)
DHEA-S: ideally 136 - 475.2 ug/dL (depends on age)
Progesterone/Estradiol Ratio: Use this calculator: https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/pg-e2-ratio

Less than 100 = estrogen dominance
Higher than 500 = progesterone dominance
100 - 500 is the ideal ratio for women

Estradiol (E2), LH, FSH, Progesterone → values for these are different depending on where women are at in their cycle (labs provide reference ranges for each of these phases)