Vitamin D is an important fat-soluble vitamin involved in a variety of bodily functions. A blood test to analyze the levels of vitamin D in the blood is an effective way to detect a variety of abnormalities of the bone or digestive system as well...
Blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) is one of the body's primary sources of fuel. It is the preferred source of fuel by the brain and muscles and is important for producing energy. Glucose comes from carbohydrates in the diet and is...
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in all cells of the body. It is produced by the body, and also found in many foods. There are two types of cholesterol. The first is LDL cholesterol and is considered the "bad" cholesterol. The second...
Vitamin D is an unusual vitamin because your body will manufacture adequate amounts of it if you spend enough time in the sun. However, the Dietary Reference Intakes from the USDA indicate that many people do not have enough vitamin D in their...
A treadmill test, also called a stress test, is a tool doctors use to diagnose heart disease. Although your doctor may order a treadmill test because you exhibit symptoms such as chest pain or angina, this is not always the case. If your lifestyle...
Monitoring your glucose level may be the most important tool you have for controlling your diabetes. The food you eat, any medication you take, your stress level and the amount of energy you use exercising will all affect your blood sugar. Staying...
Learn about the physical symptoms you might experience if you have cholestasis, in order to identify if you have the condition. Suffering from cholestasis means that bile can't flow out of your liver. There are many underlying causes of...
Ferritin is a protein found inside cells. It binds to iron to hold onto it until the body needs to use it. Measuring the amount of ferritin in a child's blood helps doctors figure out how much iron is being stored in the body. Measuring ferritin...
Alcohol addiction is a disease that spans a lifetime. Long-term abuse causes a physical dependence on alcohol and the need to drink more to achieve the desired outcome. When alcoholism goes untreated, negative health effects begin to occur. The...
Joint pain affects nearly everyone at some point, and more than 43 million Americans have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to conventional medical treatment...
The kidneys' main function is to clear the blood of wastes and remove excess fluid. Some tests that measure abnormal kidney function include blood pressure, urine albumin, creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)....
Glucose, which is the main source of energy for your brain and muscles, circulates throughout your body in your blood. In healthy individuals, a number of physiological processes work together to control the levels of glucose in your blood and...
All blood tests must be ordered by a licensed practitioner. Thousands of different blood tests can be ordered, and the orders must be specific for the test results to be meaningful. A standard design is used to report blood test results. The...
The sugar in your blood, or blood glucose, is what provides you with the energy you need to survive. There are several different tests for blood sugar. Some are used to diagnose diabetes, while others are used to monitor diabetics' blood sugar...
A low waking temperature can be a sign of an underactive thyroid. Milk contains the amino acid tyrosine, which is involved in regulating thyroid function. Consuming more dairy products throughout the day can help regulate your thyroid hormones and...
The levels of some substances in your blood vary substantially, according to when and what you last ate. To control for variability introduced by eating, you must fast for a specific number of hours before certain blood tests. Although most diet...
Potassium is an essential dietary mineral and electrolyte. As a mineral, potassium is required for proper metabolism of carbohydrates. As an electrolyte, or ion, potassium is able to conduct electricity, maintaining a current across the membrane...
All carbohydrates, including the sugar in juice, can cause your blood sugar to rise. Just how high your blood pressure will rise can be somewhat subjective; not everyone responds to stimuli in the same manner. Hyperglycemia occurs when your level...
Normal blood glucose levels are usually considered anything lower than 100 milligrams per deciliter--100mg/dL--when fasting or below 140mg/dL on a random test using a glucose meter, according to the Cleveland Clinic. If you experience blood sugar...
Many people infected with hepatitis C don't know they have this often chronic, blood-borne, lifelong viral infection that affects about 4.1 million Americans, according to the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders....
High density lipoprotein (HDL), commonly thought of as the "good" kind of cholesterol, supports a healthy cardiovascular system by helping to transport free, circulating fatty acids out of the bloodstream. HDL is normally measured in units of...
High cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for developing heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Consequently, blood tests for determining cholesterol levels have become a routine part of annual physicals...
Sodium is an electrolyte that helps your body maintain stable water within and around its cells. Your body's sodium level represents how much sodium and water your body takes in through food and drink and how much it excretes through urine, stool...
One of the most severe forms of food allergies is the fish allergy. Fish proteins are the primary cause for allergic reactions. Some common fish species triggering the fish allergy include salmon, eel, pollock, tilapia, tuna, cod, herring, bass,...
Triglycerides, a category of fat, appear both in food and in the body. Though some fats are good for you, triglycerides are not. If you have elevated triglycerides, you probably also have elevated LDL cholesterol because they're directly linked...
Your white blood cells, or WBCs, may be elevated for many reasons including illness and chronic conditions, medications and stress. WBCs are called leukocytes and are the disease-fighting cells in your blood. You normally have 4,500 to 10,000 WBCs...
Tightly controlled calcium levels are critical to good health. The body stores calcium primarily in bones, with the remainder circulating in the blood; the two sources can exchange their supply to maintain blood calcium within the proper limits....
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in which open sores develop on your colon and rectum. This disease is thought to be caused by an abnormality of your immune system, but may be hereditary as well. People who are white and...
Vitamin D plays a major role in the body's regulation of calcium and phosphorous levels in the blood. It also helps absorb calcium, which is needed for strong bones. According to the Mayo Clinic, vitamin D may protect against osteoporosis, cancer,...
Symptoms of ectopic pregnancies. Learn about obstetrics from a doctor in this video on understanding pregnancy.
