This video, by Deb Ford DCN RDN, explains what different blood test results mean for your metabolic health. It covers important markers like triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, blood pressure, and waistline measurements. The speaker gives ideal ranges for each and offers tips on how to improve these numbers through diet, exercise, and stress management, ultimately helping you live a healthier and longer life. She also explains how to order your own blood work if your doctor won't order specific tests.
Key Takeaways
1
Understanding your yearly blood work, including triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and blood sugar, is key to deep diving into your metabolic health.
2
Keeping triglycerides below 80 mg/dL is ideal for metabolic health, stable energy, and reduced risk of heart attack, and this can be achieved by limiting refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats.
3
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often called "good cholesterol," acts like a cleanup crew for your arteries, reducing plaque buildup and the risk of heart disease.
4
To boost HDL, incorporate regular physical activity, healthy fats like avocados and olive oil, and high-fiber foods, while avoiding trans fats found in processed snacks.
5
Maintaining fasting blood sugar between 70 and 85 mg/dL indicates your body is processing carbs effectively and insulin is working properly, reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
6
Aim for blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg, which signals that your heart is working efficiently and your blood vessels are healthy, and this is linked to insulin resistance and nitric oxide production.
7
For women, maintaining a waist circumference under 31.5 inches (and 35 inches for men) is a strong predictor of good metabolic health, signaling balanced insulin and a lower risk of chronic conditions.
8
The ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (ideally 1 to 1.5) is an excellent indicator of insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health.
9
Other important metabolic labs to monitor include fasting insulin (2-5 mIU/L), highly sensitive C-reactive protein (0.1-1 mg/L), uric acid (2-4 mg/dL for women, under 5 for men), and liver function tests (AST/ALT below 17 U/L).
10
Vitamin D levels should be tested at least once a year, with an optimal range between 60-80 ng/mL, as low levels increase the risk for many diseases.
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0:01
good morning and welcome to another
0:03
edition of today's nutrition where we
0:05
look at what is new in research what's
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hot in the news or any topic that can
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help you lose weight feel great or live
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longer better A lot of you are wanting
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to get the New
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Year going with super healthy goals and
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I want to give you the tools to really
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dive deep into your metabolic Health by
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looking at your yearly blood work and
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stay tuned to the end and I will give
0:29
you the ability to get this blood work
0:31
done without having to go to your doctor
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and show you how you can order whatever
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blood work you want okay all right so
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first let's talk
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triglycerides something so vital for our
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health now I know it's not the most
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glamorous thing but trust me
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understanding this could be a total
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GameChanger for your health and vitality
0:53
triglycerides are just a type of fat
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that's floating around in your blood
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they serve as the way your body is going
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to store energy sounds good right well
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not necessarily when triglycerides get
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too high over 150 they can contribute to
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metabolic issues like insulin resistance
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weight gain and even increase your risk
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for heart disease so here's the exciting
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part keeping your triglycerides under 80
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can put you on the fast track to
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thriving metabolic health stable energy
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and even longevity in fact if you keep
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your triglycerides under 80 you cut your
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risk for heart attack in half so where
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did they come from well it's just not
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the fats you eat truly most of the
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triglycerides in your body actually are
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produced when you eat too many refined
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carbohydrates like juices milk too much
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fruit sugary snacks bread muffin pot
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pasta and especially pop all these
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excess sugars get converted to fat in
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your liver and that's how triglycerides
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and even fatty liver are born and yes
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unhealthy trans fats and highly
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processed vegetable oils those seed oils
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usually play a really big role but
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here's the great news you've got the
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power to get those triglycerides in
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check eating whole nutrient-dense food
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like I always talk about it's the key
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think healthy fats like avocados nut
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seeds and oh olive oil even fill your
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plate with all those vegetables the
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clean proteins reduce those processed
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carbs the sugars and starches that Spike
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blood sugar exercise is a perfect
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companion it's like your metabolism gets
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a gift every time you eat and move so
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aiming for for triglyceride levels under
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80 you're reducing inflammation you're
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improving how your body uses insulin and
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you're supporting a healthy heart so now
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let's talk about HDL
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cholesterol taking a moment to shine the
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spotlight on a super important heart
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health particle it is the LDL
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cholesterol your heart's best friend HDL
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stands for high density lipoprotein and
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it's often called the good cholesterol
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the healthy cholesterol the HDL the
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healthy happy cholesterol well that's
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because it works like a cleanup crew for
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your arteries it's an antioxidant it's
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anti-inflam inflammatory and here's the
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big deal over time the bad cholesterol
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the lousy LDL is pro-inflammatory and it
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can build up in your arteries and form
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dangerous plaque that's going to
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increase your risk for heart disease and
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other metabolic issues but HDL comes in
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and swoops in like a superhero and
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clears out that bad cholesterol gets it
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out of the bloodstream sends it back to
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the liver to be broken down and removed
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from the body higher levels of HDL mean
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less less plaque buildup better
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circulation and a lower risk for heart
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disease how amazing is that so here's
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how you can boost your
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HDL and and let it do its life-saving
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magic so it's easier than you think and
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it all goes together so you got to move
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that body regular physical activity
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especially aerobic is really good for
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HDL second thing choose healthy fats
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focus on your favorite foods like
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avocados olive oil nut seeds and fatty
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fish like salmon okay these fats will
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actually raise HDL while lowering
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inflammation I highly recommend barlines
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fish or flax oil every single day pure
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concentrated healthy fats for those of
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us that live in the Bread Basket of
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America not on the shoreline and are
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usually deficient in healthy fats we're
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Farmers not
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fishermen really important ditch the
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trans fats avoid those processed snacks
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those fried foods margarine if you still
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got those in your fridge get rid of
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those lower HDL when I gave a talk to
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the middle school last month and I took
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fro Loops in for a prop I was shocked to
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see that Kelloggs actually uses trans
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fats in their
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ingredients they've got the school
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contract okay so that's just like
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setting our kids up for heart disease
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outrageous next thing you can do is add
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high fiber foods that is a great way to
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get that cholesterol profile where it
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needs to be and here's a fun tip dark
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choc cut yep good quality H dark
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chocolate with at least 70% cocoa have
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will give your HDL a little boost so in
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that sweet that's a little hint for next
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month's heart healthy education so by
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giving your HDL cholesterol the love and
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support it needs you're taking a
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powerful step towards vibrant health and
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a strong healthy heart now let's talk
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something super simple yet incredibly
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powerful for your health it's your
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fasting blood sugar normal levels the
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common recommendations are to keep it
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under 110 but oh my gosh that well that
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level is well above what is showing that
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the body is handling the carbs properly
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in fact keeping your fasting blood sugar
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between 70 and 85 is like giving your
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body the gift of long long-term Health
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vitality and energy so why is that level
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so magical 70 to 85 well when your
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fasting blood sugar stays in this sweet
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spot it means your body is processing
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those carbs and those glucose is being
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used effectively and more important your
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insulin is working the way it should
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it's a sign your metabolism is thriving
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you're keeping insulin and inflam
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inflammation at Bay plus staying in this
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Ro in this range reduces your risk for
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the chronic diseases like diabetes and
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heart disease and even cognitive
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decline they do
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call dementia type 3 diabetes okay not
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by accident so when your blood sugar
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starts creeping higher even into the
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'90s that is a signal of insulin
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resistance precursor for a whole nasty
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Cascade of health issues so keeping it
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between 70 and 85 your body is balanced
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your energy stable and your cells get
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the best chance to perform at their
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Peak okay so how do you keep it there
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you know you're going to think I'm like
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a broken record here when you do one
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thing you're helping all of the things
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so eating whole unprocessed Foods
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veggies clean proteins healthy fats and
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high fiber carbs avoiding the sugary
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drinks and snacks that Spike blood sugar
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making sure you've got regular movement
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even a quick 10-minute walk after meals
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is going to keep blood sugar more
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efficient and don't forget Stress
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Management high stress can raise
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cortisol which in turn raises blood
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sugar so breathe deeply take time to
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recharge reframe that
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stressor and when I wear my continuous
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glucose monitor I can tell you when I
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have more stress or if my sleep is not
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optimal and as a side note if you want
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access to a CGM a continuous glucose
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monitor let me know but keep that blood
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sugar on 70 to 85 you're setting
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yourself up for balanced hormones
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vibrant energy and you are going to feel
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amazing every day now let's talk
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something truly lifegiving healthy blood
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pressure it's why they call it the
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silent killer you got to know you've got
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to actually check your blood pressure
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healthy range it is below 120 over 80
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and it's more than just a number it is
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your body saying thank you for taking
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care of me when your blood pressure is
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in that optimal range it means your
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heart isn't having to work hard to pump
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blood and your blood vessels are staying
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flexible pliable and
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resilient and that is a key ingredient
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to feeling great and preventing disease
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so you can age
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well and here's something many people
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don't realize blood pressure is directly
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linked to insulin resistance and nitric
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oxide production insulin resistant
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caused by too much sugar processed food
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over time you know doesn't just raise
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blood sugar it damages your blood
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vessels it increases your risk of high
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blood pressure which can lead to heart
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disease and other issues so let's talk
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nitric oxide you know your insulin has a
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lot to do with that nitric oxide is like
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your natural blood flow
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booster and now there's more than three
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decades of research that showing insulin
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resistance is implicated as a
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contributor to high blood pressure
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because nitric oxide is that molecule
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that helps your blood vessels relax and
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widen which lowers blood pressure you
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know just like your garden hose in it's
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Nature's Way of giving your arteries and
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heart a break but here's the catch when
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you eat processed food skimp on exercise
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let stress take over take antibiotics or
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use mouthwash nitric oxide levels drop
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so that's why staying active eating lots
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and lots of vegetables and avoiding that
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sugary stuff is so important so you feel
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like you heard that before so keep your
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blood pressure healthy fight insulin
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resistance by eating vegetables to boost
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nitric oxide you are protecting your
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heart it's just like a wonderful Chain
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Reaction so celebrate taking steps every
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day walking more eating colorful
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vegetables reducing stress Ah that's
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going to go a long way to keeping it 120
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over 80 you got this Now
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ladies let's talk about something that
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can truly transform your health your
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waistline now you know research shows
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that keeping your waist circumference
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under 31 and A2 Ines is one of the best
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predictors of metabolic Health in women
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and it's not just looking a certain way
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it's helping you feel your best and
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protecting your long-term health
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when that waistline stays in a healthy
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range it's a signal that your body is
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balanced your insulin's working hard
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you're lowering your risk for chronic
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conditions like heart disease like di
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diabetes and lots of different kinds of
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cancer including breast cancer your
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waistline is like your health dashboard
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it gives you important insights to what
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may be going on inside
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that excess fat around the tummy is
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visceral fat linked to inflammation
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insulin resistance which throws your
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body out of whack but the good news you
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can take control nourish your body with
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whole unprocessed Foods move daily
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prioritize Sleep Quality making small
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but consistent changes leads to amazing
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results think of it as your power zone
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taking one centimeter off after another
13:31
getting that waistline down to 31 1/2 in
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it's not just the tape measure it is
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embracing vibrant Health good energy and
13:41
confidence knowing something incredible
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is going on inside your body and for
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those wonderful men in our lives 35 in
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is the gold level so let's make this our
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goal not just about restriction but it's
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a celebration of Health you got this and
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I got you next thing let's dive into one
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of my favorite Health metrics that is a
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game Cher for understanding metabolic
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Health you know it is the ratio of the
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triglycerides to HDL
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cholesterol did you know that a ratio of
14:20
1 to 1 and a half is one of the best
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predictors for insulin sensitivity it's
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like taking a sneak peek in how well
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your body is using and managing energy
14:31
without getting some fancy blood work
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done like fasting insulin so here's why
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it matters your triglycerides that's the
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fat circulating in the blood if they're
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low and your HDL is high that is a sign
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your body is metabolically healthy
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insulin's doing its job you're doing
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everything right healthy ratio means
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less inflammation better blood sugar
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control and lower risk for heart disease
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so that could be like your HDL is 80 and
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your triglycerides are 80 Bravo it's
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like giving your health a green
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light how do you get there well again
15:09
whole unprocessed Foods healthy fats
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like avocados olive oil clean protein
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lots of vegetables daily movement about
15:17
20 to 30 minutes going to keep your
15:20
triglycerides low and your HDL is high
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you know if you're seeing things out of
15:24
out of range don't stress it's just a
15:27
signal you need to fine-tune a few
15:29
things a few habits and so don't beat
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yourself up just realize I got a little
15:34
work to do and it's okay we all have
15:37
work to do so 1 to one and a half that's
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the way your body is saying I'm thriving
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aiming for that sweet spot so your
15:45
energy is going to be great Vitality
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shows you're taking care of yourself
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okay just a few other labs that are good
15:53
and I'll just touch on them to give you
15:55
just a little tidbit on actual fasting
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insulin you know you rarely see this but
16:02
that's why I gave you the HDL or the
16:05
triglycerides dhdl ratio because that's
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going to be the clue but fasting insulin
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you could have it done and a beautiful
16:13
level is between 2 and
16:16
five anything over 10 indicates that
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there could be problems so fasting
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insulin between 2 and five Bravo that's
16:27
good now another one that's a a little
16:29
more common you see it's the highly
16:32
sensitive C reactive protein abbreviated
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HS C Small HS large CRP perfect level
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here which is going to measure
16:43
inflammation in the body is somewhere
16:46
between
16:47
0.1 and 1 anything higher than that we
16:51
need to be digging then finally Uric
16:54
well not finally I've got one more but
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uric acid used to be on all the yearly
16:59
blood work but now you rarely see it
17:02
they will test uric acid mainly for gout
17:06
but it is very much related to the risk
17:09
for heart disease and stroke so if you
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get uric acid done you want the level to
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be between two and four for women and
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under five for
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men then there are two common liver test
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you're going to see that on just about
17:25
any complete blood profile that's going
17:28
to be the
17:30
and the alt these are levels that are
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going to indicate how well your liver is
17:35
functioning we love these levels to be
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below 17 that shows your liver is just
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percolating right along with no problem
17:46
finally to top it off a test that's
17:49
super important for everyone to have
17:51
tested at least once a year at the end
17:54
of winter and then if you can at the end
17:58
of summer
17:59
that way you know your body's best and
18:03
worst about everybody needs to
18:05
supplement I swear we live inside 93% of
18:10
the time we cover up we wear sunscreens
18:13
or we're inflamed or we have excess
18:16
weight or dark skin you know all sorts
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of things that put us at risk for low
18:23
levels and that increases our risk for
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many diseases cancer mood problem s gut
18:30
problems autoimmune problems it is so
18:34
important you want your level to be
18:36
between 60 and
18:38
80 okay so now if you want to order your
18:42
own blood work you can go to
18:46
requestatest.com
18:47
order your own choose whatever you want
18:51
to have tested you got it beautiful go
18:54
to medy laab go to Quest they'll draw it
18:57
for you also at decator hospital they
18:59
will do it okay so there you go the most
19:02
important metabolic labs for Optimal
19:04
Health yes you will be fine probably if
19:08
you're in the normal but wouldn't you
19:10
rather to be optimal yeah Health
19:13
vitality and
19:14
Longevity there you go thanks for
19:16
listening to another edition of today's
19:18
nutrition you can listen again on my
19:21
website Deb for.com on YouTube or at Dr
19:25
Deb Ford on YouTube or wherever you
19:28
listen to podcast
19:29
I hope you have a better than normal day
19:32
have an optimal great day
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Metabolic Labs
Deb Ford DCN RDN
21 views
Feb 8, 2025
19:35
A lot of you are wanting to get the new year with super healthy goals and I want to give you the tools to really dive into your metabolic health by looking at your yearly blood work. This bloodwork evaluation will let you know if you are one of the 6% of Americans who are METABOLICALLY WELL.