Health can be measured in so many ways, but a key measurement and one that can help us to understand where your body is at, is your bloods [1]. Measuring our internal biochemistry can reveal any imbalances, deficiencies or help us to be aware of any areas we might want to tweak and look to focus on going forward.

As the reference ranges for your blood results are set against a generally healthy population for your age and sex, I encourage patients to have their bloods taken when they feel well, so that they have their own set reference point of their own “normal”, rather than only checking them when they are unwell and being unsure if they are really deficient in an area or if that is simply their base level.

So what should you have measured and why? Consider this list as a basic general guide for people of different backgrounds, as we can go into far greater detail once your symptoms are known.

Iron: Serum iron, Transferrin, Transferrin saturation and Serum ferritin

All four iron studies are important, looking at how much iron is in your blood and how much is stored, but if we take a single test like serum iron for example, it doesn’t allow for the differentiation between iron deficiency and anaemia [2].

Blood sugars: Blood glucose level and HbA1c

A fasting BGL provides a picture on the day of the test, where as the HbA1c is an average of the past 3 months, allowing us an idea of what is going on most recently.

Cholesterol: High Density Lipids (HDL), Low Density Lipids (LDL), Triglycerides, which will also include overall cholesterol.

Fats can be measured in many ways, and its important not to just get your overall cholesterol number, but the split of HDL (good) and LDL (not so good).

Electrolytes: Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Phosphate, Bicarbonate, Magnesium, Calcium

All tests to see levels in blood and if deficiency needed. Some of these are critical to be checked if you have recently been malnourished and need to be refed. Also important to understand your levels if exercising frequently.

Vitamins: Folate, Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12

Folate is important when looking to procreate, Vit D is measured in most adults are 2/3 of Australians are deficient and it is important in calcium conversion, B12 is important for any vegan / vegetarians, as well as Vit A for blood. All, as well as other specific ones will be dependent on your symptoms.

Blood count: Haemoglobin (Hb), Haematocrit, Red cell count (RCC), White Cell Count, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ERC)

Haematology can tell us about the quality of your blood, the cell count as well as the potential presence of infection.

Hormones: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Cortisol, Oestrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone, and Sex Hormone Binding Glubolin, (SBHG).

Again, by no means all of them, but this gives a good picture of where our body is at and how our hormones are functioning, which is relevant to all of us at any age, not just when looking to procreate.

Other: Some GP’s will also assess areas such as your liver through liver function tests, (LFT), which cover the following 8 tests; AST, GGT, ALT, ALP, CK, LDH, Ammonia and Bilirubin. The need for this will depend on recent illness and toxicity. To measure your kidney function they will look at Urea and an eGFR test which looks at the rate your kidneys can pump. Zinc and Iodine are other tests that may be ordered by your GP if you have specific symptoms, however aren’t needed in a regular check up (usually).  

When speaking with your GP you need to ensure you are clear to them on why you want to have these bloods taken, they may push back. So if you are experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, tiredness, weight gain / loss, hair loss / thinning, weak or brittle nails, flaky skin, basically anything. This will allow the GP to ensure that they are ordering adequate testing, and n some cases they may look to eliminate other factors such as parasites through a stool test.

If you have recently had your bloods taken and want to discuss them in more detail in relation to how we can improve any areas through food, please make an appointment, I’m keen to help you improve your health though food.

[1]: DOI: 10.1056/NEJM198806303182605

[2]: DOI: 10.1177/0004563216675185