Ultimate Athlete Performance

Adjusted calcium estimates the calcium level after allowing for the amount of albumin in the blood. It helps give a more meaningful assessment of calcium balance when albumin is high or low.

Calcium is essential for bones and teeth as well as muscle contraction, nerve signalling and heart function. Abnormal levels can be linked to parathyroid, kidney, vitamin D and other disorders.

Creatine kinase is an enzyme concentrated in muscle. It can rise after strenuous exercise or muscle injury and is useful when assessing muscle damage and recovery.

Urate is produced when the body breaks down purines. Persistently high levels can lead to urate-crystal formation and gout and may also be influenced by kidney function, diet and medicines.

Sodium is a major electrolyte involved in fluid balance, blood pressure, nerve signalling and muscle function. Abnormal levels can occur with dehydration, kidney problems, hormonal disorders and some medicines.

ALT is an enzyme found mainly in the liver. Raised levels can occur when liver cells are irritated or damaged, so ALT is commonly used as part of a liver-function assessment.

Albumin is a protein made by the liver that helps keep fluid within the bloodstream and transports hormones, vitamins and medicines. Abnormal levels can be associated with liver disease, kidney disease, inflammation or poor nutritional status.

ALP is an enzyme found particularly in the liver and bones. Abnormal levels can be associated with liver or bile-duct problems, altered bone activity and several other conditions.

AST is an enzyme found in the liver, heart and skeletal muscle. It can rise with liver injury or muscle damage and is usually interpreted with other liver and muscle markers.

GGT is an enzyme found mainly in the liver and bile ducts. It can increase with liver or biliary problems and may also be affected by alcohol and some medicines.

Globulins are a group of blood proteins involved in immune function and transport. Abnormal levels can be seen with inflammation, infection, immune disorders and some liver or kidney conditions.

Bilirubin is produced when red blood cells are broken down and is processed by the liver. Raised bilirubin can occur with liver or bile-duct problems or increased red-cell breakdown.

Total protein measures the combined amount of albumin and globulin in the blood. It provides an overview of major circulating proteins and can support assessment of liver, kidney, nutritional and immune health.

Creatinine is a waste product generated by normal muscle metabolism and removed by the kidneys. Blood creatinine is used to help assess kidney filtration and calculate eGFR.

eGFR estimates how effectively the kidneys are filtering blood, usually using creatinine together with age and sex. A persistently reduced eGFR can indicate impaired kidney function and may need further assessment.

Urea is a waste product formed when the body breaks down protein and is removed mainly by the kidneys. Levels can be influenced by kidney function, hydration and protein intake.

HDL percentage shows how much of the total cholesterol is carried in HDL particles. A higher proportion is generally considered more favourable when assessing cardiovascular risk.

HDL is often called “good” cholesterol because it helps transport cholesterol away from tissues and back to the liver. Higher HDL levels are generally associated with lower cardiovascular risk, although the whole lipid profile matters.

LDL carries cholesterol to tissues and can contribute to plaque build-up in arteries when levels are high. It is a key marker used when assessing cardiovascular risk.

Non-HDL cholesterol represents all cholesterol carried in particles other than HDL. It provides a useful estimate of cholesterol contained in potentially atherogenic particles.

Total cholesterol measures the overall amount of cholesterol carried in the blood. It is interpreted alongside HDL, LDL, triglycerides and other risk factors rather than on its own.

This ratio compares total cholesterol with HDL cholesterol. It is one way of summarising the balance between overall cholesterol and the HDL fraction when assessing cardiovascular risk.

Triglycerides are fats carried in the blood and used for energy. High levels can be associated with increased cardiovascular and metabolic risk and may be influenced by diet, alcohol, weight and diabetes.

hs-CRP measures very low levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. It can be used as part of cardiovascular-risk assessment, although inflammation from infection or other illness can also raise the result.

HbA1c reflects average blood-glucose exposure over approximately the previous two to three months. It is widely used to diagnose type 2 diabetes and monitor longer-term glucose control.

Ferritin is the main storage protein for iron and is commonly used to estimate the body’s iron stores. It can also rise during inflammation, so results are interpreted alongside other iron markers and clinical context.

Serum iron measures iron circulating in the blood at the time of testing. It is interpreted with ferritin, transferrin or binding-capacity measures to assess iron deficiency or excess.

TIBC estimates the blood’s capacity to bind and transport iron, largely through transferrin. It helps distinguish different patterns of iron deficiency and iron overload.

Transferrin saturation estimates the percentage of iron-binding sites on transferrin that are occupied by iron. It helps assess whether the body has too little or too much circulating iron.

UIBC measures the unused capacity of transferrin to bind additional iron. It is interpreted with serum iron and TIBC when assessing iron status.

Vitamin D is important for calcium regulation, bone and muscle health and normal immune function. Low levels are common in the UK, particularly after winter or in people with limited sun exposure.

Vitamin B12 is required for normal red-blood-cell formation, DNA synthesis and nervous-system function. Deficiency can cause anaemia and neurological symptoms and is more common with reduced dietary intake or impaired absorption.

Folate is required for DNA synthesis, cell division and normal red-blood-cell production. Deficiency can contribute to anaemia and is especially important during pregnancy because of its role in fetal neural-tube development.

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in muscle and nerve function, energy production and many enzyme reactions. Abnormal levels can occur with dietary deficiency, gastrointestinal loss, kidney problems or some medicines.

These antibodies target thyroglobulin, a protein made by the thyroid. Raised levels can support the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease.

Free T3 is the unbound form of triiodothyronine, an active thyroid hormone involved in metabolism and energy regulation. It can be useful when assessing some cases of thyroid overactivity or complex thyroid dysfunction.

Free T4 measures the unbound form of thyroxine, one of the main hormones produced by the thyroid gland. It is interpreted with TSH to assess thyroid function.

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies are directed against an enzyme used by the thyroid to make hormones. Raised levels are commonly associated with autoimmune thyroid disease, particularly Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

TSH is produced by the pituitary gland and signals the thyroid to make thyroid hormones. It is one of the main markers used to assess whether the thyroid is underactive or overactive.

Testosterone is an androgen hormone involved in sexual function, fertility, muscle mass, bone health and energy. Levels vary with age, sex and time of day and are interpreted alongside symptoms and other hormone results.

Calculated free testosterone estimates the fraction of testosterone not tightly bound to proteins and therefore more readily available to tissues. It is calculated using total testosterone together with binding proteins such as SHBG and albumin.

SHBG is a protein made mainly by the liver that binds sex hormones, including testosterone and oestradiol. Its level affects how much hormone is available to tissues and is useful when interpreting total testosterone.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands and involved in stress response, metabolism, blood pressure and immune regulation. Levels vary during the day and are interpreted in relation to sampling time and clinical context.

Progesterone is a hormone that rises after ovulation and supports the uterine lining and early pregnancy. Its level can help confirm whether ovulation has occurred when testing is timed correctly within the menstrual cycle.

Oestradiol is the main circulating oestrogen during the reproductive years. It is involved in the menstrual cycle, fertility, bone health and sexual function and is interpreted alongside other reproductive hormones.

LH is a pituitary hormone involved in ovulation in women and testosterone production in men. It is commonly assessed as part of fertility and reproductive-hormone testing.

FSH is produced by the pituitary gland and plays a central role in ovarian follicle development and sperm production. Levels are used in fertility assessment and when investigating ovarian, testicular or menopausal function.

DHEA-S is an androgen-related hormone produced mainly by the adrenal glands. It acts as a precursor for other sex hormones and can help assess adrenal and androgen activity.

Prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland and is best known for its role in breast-milk production. Abnormally high levels can affect periods, fertility, libido and testosterone production.

Haematocrit is the proportion of blood volume made up of red blood cells. Low values can occur with anaemia, while high values may be seen with dehydration or increased red-cell production.

Haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. Measuring it is central to identifying anaemia and other disorders that affect the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.

MCHC shows the average concentration of haemoglobin within red blood cells. It helps classify different patterns of anaemia.

MCH measures the average amount of haemoglobin in each red blood cell. It is used with other red-cell indices to help classify anaemia.

MCV measures the average size of red blood cells. Small or large red cells can point toward different causes of anaemia and nutritional deficiency.

MPV reflects the average size of platelets in the blood. It can provide additional information about platelet production and turnover when interpreted with the platelet count.

Platelets are blood cells involved in clot formation. Too few can increase bleeding risk, while very high counts can be associated with inflammation or an increased tendency to clot.

The red cell count measures the number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. It is interpreted with haemoglobin, haematocrit and red-cell indices when assessing anaemia or increased red-cell production.

RDW measures how much red blood cells vary in size. Increased variation can help distinguish between different causes of anaemia and nutritional deficiency.

The white cell count measures the total number of white blood cells, which form an important part of the immune system. Levels can change with infection, inflammation, bone-marrow conditions and some medicines.