My Lab Results and Some Thoughts

Every year I have a checkup with my doctor. I’m all for catching any problems early. Some issues can start without any symptoms. Maybe some lab tests can catch the problems before they appear.

This year I tried something different. Instead of the regular fasting period of 8-10 hours before the labs, I decided to try an extended fast.

It was about 40 hours prior to the checkup.

My labs in previous years seemed pretty good. I wanted to see if an extended fast would improve my labs or make them worse.

I let both my doctor and the phlebotomist know that I had fasted for 40 hours prior to the blood draw. Neither one seemed to think it was a big deal in terms of the labs. I eat a mostly carnivore diet, although I am not very strict. I have a beer once a month or so, and will eat some bread at restaurants occasionally. I’ve had a bowl of cereal from time to time. Yes I know I should be better. I’m working on it!

I really believe the more information we share with each other, the healthier and more knowledgeable we can all become.

Here are some highlights of the results:

• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone: 0.997

• PSA: 1.165

• Hemoglobin A1C: 5.3

• Glucose: 67

• Total Cholesterol: 281

• HDL Cholesterol: 66

• Triglycerides: 72

• LDL Cholesterol: 200.6

• LDL/HDL ratio: 3.0

• VLDL Cholesterol: 14

On my CBC with differential panel I had a high reading for the Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW-SD) indicating I may have some symptoms of anemia. That may make sense with the extended fast I did.

My sodium number was also low (135 mmol/L), which is weird because I salt pretty much everything I eat. It could also be a result of fasting.

Here are some thoughts I had on my lab tests. I have not reviewed them with my doctor yet. However, he also has not reviewed them with me in past years. I guess that means I’m doing ok?

I’m also comparing the test results to the results we receive for our residents and the recommendations we receive from A Mind for All Seasons (AMFAS). AMFAS is the company that helps us with residents who have dementia.

My TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone seems to fall in line with the recommended range of 0.4-2.5 uIU/ml. AMFAS also measures Free T3, Free T4 and Thyroid Peroxidase which is a thyroid antibody. Seems like my thyroid is doing ok.

PSA is not measured by AMFAS and probably doesn’t have much to do with brain health. It’s an early marker of prostate cancer. I used to have polyps on my colonoscopies, but since I’ve been on the carnivore diet my colonoscopies have been completely clear.  Googling on a Johns Hopkins website shows my PSA is in a normal range (1.0 to 1.5 ng/ml).

My diabetes markers seem very good. Anything below 5.7 on A1C is supposed to be good. AMFAS recommends below 5.6 for cognitive health. A1C is a measurement of blood glucose over a 3 month period. So fasting won’t make much of a difference.

Blood glucose I’m guessing is partly a result of fasting. However, it does show you can really control that number through what you eat. It makes me sad that so many people just try to control their blood sugar with medication and eat whatever they want.

The cholesterol tests I’d like to save for another email. I’ve learned a lot in the low carb community about that. Not what the mainstream tells you. The triglycerides reading ties in with that discussion.

Overall I seem to be doing ok. Hopefully my results will help you and increase your knowledge and awareness.