Here are Reference Ranges for Blood Work

[BigAndy69]

Good stuff, drgoodbody.

 

[drgoodbody]

What would also be nice is an "optimum" range chart. (Maybe I'll compile this, but it'll take time).

In other words, some levels are better at the high end, i.e red blood count, free testosterone, etc. And some are better at the low end, such as cholesterol, urea, etc. And some are best as low as possible, such as homocysteine, PSA, etc.

Many people also think that the "more" of the good stuff,like T, the better....but that's not true. As hard as it is to accept, a T level too far over 1000 increases the chance of heart attack and prostate cancer. Interestingly, a T level under 300 does the same thing. The same goes for too low of an estrogen level.

Everything is meant to be in balance. But within the "acceptable ranges" there are variables, both good and bad.

Interesting you should mention this, as Dr. Colker said something very much along these lines - that more is not always better, despite what is "conventional gym wisdom" (or lack there-of).

Also, something else worth pointing out for people looking at the ranges: Generally, the bigger the range, the more uncertainty there is in the medical community regarding what is truly normal and optimal. For example, look at the tight-ass range on Sodium: 135 - 146 mmol/L, or Potassium: 3.5 - 5.3 mmol/L. The medical community knows exactly where these numbers should be to be "normal". In contrast, look at the big ass range on total Testosterone: 260 - 1000 ng/dL (factor of almost 4 between low and high), or LH: 1.5 - 9.3 mIU/mL (factor of over 6 between low and high). Clearly, some things are better understood than others. Helps to keep this in mind when reading the ranges.

DrG