Blood values and your metabolism
Your blood values make your metabolism visible. Sugar, fats and thyroid all help decide how easily you lose weight. Look up a value below. Each one gives the normal range and what a deviation means.
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Eosinophils
Eosinophils are white blood cells involved in allergic reactions and the defence against parasites. As part of your complete blood count, they can offer clues about allergies or asthma. A raised count is often seen with allergic complaints or a parasitic infection, while a low count is usually not a concern. Your doctor reviews the value in context.
Erythrocytes (RBC)
An erythrocyte (red blood cell) count measures the number of red blood cells in your blood. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body and transporting carbon dioxide back for exhalation.
Estradiol (E2)
Estradiol (E2) is the primary form of estrogen and plays a role in bone density, cardiovascular function, and cognitive health. In older adults, levels naturally change over time, and monitoring may help provide context for symptoms that can accompany ageing.
FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone)
FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) plays a role in reproductive health and may help provide insight into hormonal changes associated with ageing. In older adults, FSH levels naturally shift, and monitoring can support conversations with your healthcare provider about hormone-related symptoms.
Ferritin
Your ferritin level shows how much iron you have in store, but during a weight-loss programme it measures something else too. Excess weight involves low-grade inflammation, and ferritin rises in response as an acute-phase protein. Your starting value is therefore often higher than your actual iron store justifies. As you lose weight that inflammation subsides and your ferritin falls with it, even if nothing about your iron changes. That makes a falling value during weight loss usually a good sign. It does mean, though, that a deficiency previously masked only becomes visible now.
Folate (Folic Acid)
Folate measures vitamin B9, a nutrient that may become harder to absorb as we age. For older adults, adequate folate levels could support cognitive function, cardiovascular health, and healthy red blood cell production.
Free T3 (Triiodothyronine)
Free T3 is considered the most active thyroid hormone and may be particularly relevant as we age. Some healthcare providers note that monitoring T3 levels can help support energy, cognitive function, and metabolic health in older adults.
Free T4 (Thyroxine)
Free T4 is the main thyroid hormone and may become increasingly important to monitor with age. Some healthcare providers note that thyroid function can change over time, potentially affecting energy, cognitive clarity, and bone health in older adults.
Free Testosterone
Free testosterone is the biologically active form of testosterone that is not bound to proteins. In older adults, free testosterone levels tend to decline gradually, and monitoring may help provide context for changes in energy, mood, or muscle strength.
GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase)
GGT monitoring is particularly important for older adults, as age-related changes and the use of multiple medications can affect liver and bile duct function. Regular testing supports early detection and helps guide medication management.
Glucose (Fasting)
Fasting glucose regulation can change with age. Regular monitoring supports diabetes prevention and metabolic stability for healthy ageing.
HDL Cholesterol
The normal value for HDL cholesterol is a lower limit and not a target figure: from 1.0 mmol/l for men and from 1.2 mmol/l for women. No upper limit is given. HDL is the amount of cholesterol in the particles that bring cholesterol back to your liver, and the value says most about your metabolism. That makes HDL interesting when you are losing weight, and confusing at the same time. During active weight loss your HDL often barely moves, while your triglycerides are already dropping considerably. Only once your weight has been stable for a while does your HDL come up. On this page you can read which HDL values are normal, how to read them during a weight-loss programme, and why a static HDL after three months is not a bad sign.
HOMA-IR
HOMA-IR assesses insulin resistance, which becomes increasingly relevant with age. Monitoring this marker supports diabetes prevention and metabolic health management in seniors, allowing for early lifestyle interventions when insulin sensitivity begins to decline.
HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin)
HbA1c monitoring is increasingly important with age as diabetes risk rises. Regular testing supports early intervention and helps maintain metabolic health in later years.
Hematocrit
Your hematocrit says what percentage of your blood consists of red blood cells. In a weight-loss programme that is an awkward number, because it is a concentration. If you eat and drink less, the fluid in your blood falls and the value rises. Not a single extra red cell has been made. That is exactly what often happens while a GLP-1 dose is built up. Nausea then reduces your intake. Later in the programme the value can fall instead. So here you look at your own line over time, not at one result.
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin monitoring is particularly valuable for seniors, as age-related changes can affect red blood cell production and iron metabolism. Regular testing supports early detection of anemia, helping maintain energy, cognitive clarity, and quality of life.
Holotranscobalamin
Holotranscobalamin is the earliest indicator of B12 depletion and may be particularly relevant for older adults. As B12 absorption naturally declines with age, this test could help detect changes before standard B12 tests.
Homocysteine
Homocysteine levels may rise with age and are associated with cardiovascular and cognitive health. Regular monitoring supports heart and brain protection in later years.
Insulin (Fasting)
Insulin sensitivity naturally decreases with age. Monitoring fasting insulin supports early intervention and metabolic health maintenance in later years.
Intrinsic Factor Antibodies
Intrinsic Factor Antibodies tests for autoimmune-related B12 malabsorption. Pernicious anaemia becomes more common with age, making this test particularly relevant for older adults with unexplained or persistent B12 deficiency.
Iodine
Iodine supports thyroid function and cognitive health, both of which can change with age. Regular monitoring helps maintain metabolic balance and mental clarity.
Iron (Serum)
Serum iron levels can change with age and dietary habits. Regular monitoring helps maintain adequate iron for energy and cognitive function in later life.
LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase)
LDH is an enzyme found in every tissue of your body, including your liver. Its full name is lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). This test measures how much LDH is circulating in your blood. Once cells break down, LDH passes into your bloodstream. During a weight-loss programme that is more interesting than it sounds. Your body is breaking down tissue in that period, and part of that is the point. The question is which tissue. A raised LDH says breakdown is happening, but not whether it is fat, muscle or something else.
LDL Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol inside the particles that can build up in your artery wall. If you lose weight, that value eventually falls, but almost never first and almost never in a straight line. That surprises many people. In the first weeks of a programme your LDL can even come out higher than at the start, while your triglycerides have already dropped sharply. Nothing has gone wrong: you are measuring a body mid-change, not the end result. This page shows what moves in which phase, when to re-measure to see anything meaningful, and why your result belongs next to your own starting value rather than next to the limit printed on the page.