there is a great summary of core metabolic health labs and their appropriate ranges
Core Metabolic & Glucose:
1. Fasting Insulin: < 5 µIU/mL (Optimal); Conventional "normal" often up to 25 µIU/mL.
2. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): < 5.3%(Optimal); Conventional "normal" < 5.7%.
3. Fasting Glucose: 70-90 mg/dL(Optimal Stability).
Lipids & Cardiovascular
1. Triglycerides: < 80 mg/dL (Optimal); Ideally 50-70 mg/dL.
2. HDL Cholesterol: > 60 mg/dL (Men), > 70 mg/dL (Women) (Optimal).
3. LDL Cholesterol: Context-dependent(Focuses more on particle number/size if concerned, but prioritizes low Trigs/High HDL).
4. Triglyceride/HDL Ratio: < 1.0(Optimal Insulin Sensitivity Marker); < 2.0 is good.
5. Lipoprotein(a) Lp(a): < 30 mg/dL(Lower is better, strong genetic risk factor).
6. Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT): < 20 U/L (Optimal Liver/Stress Marker); Conventional normal often up to 40-60 U/L.
Hormones
1. Free T3 (Thyroid): 3.5 - 4.5 pg/mL(Upper half of range optimal for energy/metabolism).
2. Reverse T3 (rT3): < 20 ng/dL(Optimal); High levels indicate stress/conversion issues.
3. TSH: 0.5 - 2.0 µIU/mL (Optimal Function); Conventional normal often up to 4.5-5.0.
4. Total Testosterone (Men): 700 - 1100 ng/dL (Optimal for vitality); (Reported his own drop to ~500 ng/dL on strict carnivore as suboptimal).
5. Free Testosterone (Men): > 20 pg/mL (Upper end of range optimal).
6. Estradiol (Men): 20 - 30 pg/mL(Balanced range).
7. Cortisol (AM): 12 - 18 µg/dL (Optimal morning peak).
8. DHEA-S (Men): > 350 µg/dL (Optimal for age); Women: Age-adjusted, often > 150 µg/dL.
9. Cortisol:DHEA-S Ratio: < 5x the multiplier (e.g., Cortisol 15 µg/dL / 10. DHEA-S 300 µg/dL = 0.05, which is good). Lower ratio indicates better stress resilience.
Inflammation & Nutrients
1. High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP): < 0.5 mg/L (Optimal/Low Inflammation); < 1.0 mg/L good.
2. Homocysteine: < 8 µmol/L (Optimal); Conventional normal often up to 15 µmol/L.
3. Vitamin D (25-OH): 60 - 80 ng/mL(Optimal Immune/Function)
4. Magnesium (RBC): > 6.0 mg/dL(Optimal Cellular Status); Conventional serum normal often lower (1.8-2.6 mg/dL).
5. Uric Acid: < 5.5 mg/dL (Men), < 4.5 mg/dL (Women) (Lower end optimal, especially on high-purine diets).
Other Key Markers:
1. Parathyroid Hormone (PTH): 15 - 30 pg/mL (Optimal, indicates good Vit D/Ca status); High levels suggest deficiency/stress.
2. IGF-1: Context-dependent (Moderate levels associated with longevity; very high may link to cancer risk).
3. ALT/AST (Liver Enzymes): < 20 U/L### Ratios
Ratios:
1. Triglycerides/HDL Ratio: < 1.0 (Gold Standard for Insulin Sensitivity).
2. Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratio: Lower is better (Marker of HPA Axis Resilience).
