Category: Blood work

According to the Mayo Clinic, a low hemoglobin count is generally defined as less than 13 grams per deciliter (g/dL) for adult men and less than 12 g/dL for women, meaning a reading of 12.4 can be borderline or low depending on your specific measurement and personal factors. This article clarifies what a 12.4 reading might indicate.

Over 1.1 million Americans followed a ketogenic diet in 2023, making it one of the most popular low-carb diets. For anyone asking 'what blood tests should I do on keto?', regular monitoring is crucial for tracking metabolic changes and optimizing your high-fat, low-carb lifestyle.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most of the elemental iron in the human body is found in hemoglobin, while the rest is stored as ferritin. But what is the difference between elemental iron and ferritin? This distinction is critical for understanding your body's overall iron status and diagnosing potential issues like deficiency or overload.

According to sources like Cleveland Clinic and Mount Sinai, a normal serum total protein level ranges from approximately 6.0 to 8.3 g/dL, which means an 8.0 protein level is typically within the acceptable range. However, a result at the higher end of normal merits closer attention to context and other health factors.

While vitamin B12 deficiency receives significant public attention, elevated B12 levels are a more common finding in routine lab work. The liver is the body's primary storage site for B12, and issues affecting this organ or the blood can cause a passive release of the vitamin into circulation. This is why your B12 can be high without supplements and often warrants medical investigation.

Studies have shown that even mild dehydration, representing a loss of as little as 2-3% of body weight, can concentrate the blood and falsely elevate protein levels. This physiological reaction raises an important question: does dehydration affect protein levels, and how does this impact health assessments?

While most people are concerned about low vitamin B12 levels, an unexpectedly high result on a blood test can be alarming. The body is good at regulating this water-soluble vitamin, so a sudden spike is often an indicator of external factors or an underlying medical condition, not typically a result of diet alone.

According to medical lab guidelines, consuming anything other than plain water can skew blood test results. Therefore, the answer to **can you have mints while fasting for blood work?** is a strict no, as these seemingly insignificant items can significantly compromise the accuracy of your results and potentially lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

According to a study on cirrhotic patients, elevated serum vitamin B12 levels correlate with the severity of liver disease and its prognosis, not a direct cause of a high lab result. This critical distinction helps answer the question: Can vitamin B12 increase alkaline phosphatase, and what does an abnormal reading truly signify?