/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down){kind=small}
Essential Blood Tests To Get Annually
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.
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)
Follow me on Telegram to be notified as soon as new content is released.
