How to Read Your Blood Test Results: A Step-by-Step Guide

Quick answer

To read your blood test results, do three things. First, check if each number falls inside the lab's normal range. Second, compare each number to the healthy target range, which is often stricter than "normal." Third, read your results in groups, like heart markers or liver markers, because one number rarely tells the whole story.

What you will need

• Your latest blood test report, on paper or as a PDF
• Something to take notes with. Your phone works fine
• The table in Step 4 of this guide
• Your past reports, if you have them. A trend matters more than one result

Step 1: Find out what was actually tested

Most lab reports group results into panels. Here are the common ones you will see in the Philippines.

• CBC, or Complete Blood Count. Counts your red cells, white cells, and platelets.
• FBS, or Fasting Blood Sugar. One number for your blood sugar.
• Lipid profile. This is your cholesterol test. It covers total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides.
• Liver function test. Covers ALT (called SGPT on most Philippine lab reports), AST (called SGOT on most Philippine lab reports), ALP, GGT, bilirubin, and two liver proteins.
• Kidney function test. Covers creatinine, BUN, uric acid, and eGFR.
• Thyroid function test. Usually just TSH. Sometimes also Free T3 and Free T4.
• HbA1c. Your average blood sugar over the last three months.
• Urinalysis. A separate test on your urine, not your blood.

Some useful markers often get left out of a standard yearly checkup. These include ApoB, fasting insulin, vitamin D, hs-CRP, and ferritin. If your report does not show these, they likely were not ordered. You can check the full list of markers in a &you Labs panel to see how it compares with your own report.

Step 2: Understand the normal range column

Every result sits next to a range. For example, you might see: Glucose, 96 mg/dL (70 to 99 mg/dL). This is called the reference range, or the lab's normal range. It tells you what is typical for most people. It does not always tell you what is healthiest for you.

Two things are worth knowing about this range.

1. Ranges differ between labs. A creatinine of 1.0 mg/dL might read as normal at one lab and borderline high at another. Each lab uses its own machine.
2. Many ranges come from Western data. Some markers, like LDL targets, have Asian-specific goals. Philippine labs do not always use them.

Step 4 explains the gap between "normal" and "healthy" in more detail.

Step 3: Read your results in groups

Do not read one number at a time. Your body works as a connected system. Group your results by what part of your health they cover. Then look at the whole group together.

A biomarker is simply a health marker in your blood. Each one tells your doctor something specific about how your body is working. Here are the six groups that matter most.

Metabolic group

What to check: fasting glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, triglycerides.

What it tells you: how your body handles sugar. Your glucose can look normal while your HbA1c or insulin is already high. That is an early warning sign. Triglycerides above 100 mg/dL, paired with borderline glucose, often point to early insulin resistance. That means your body needs more and more insulin just to keep your blood sugar steady.

Heart group

What to check: total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, ApoB, hs-CRP.

What it tells you: your risk for heart disease. LDL alone is a weak clue. ApoB is a much better one. Think of ApoB as a count of the delivery trucks carrying cholesterol through your blood, not just the boxes inside them. More trucks mean more risk, even when each truck carries less. If you do not have an ApoB result, divide your triglycerides by your HDL. Aim for a result under 2.0.

Liver group

What to check: ALT (SGPT), AST (SGOT), GGT, ALP, bilirubin.

What it tells you: stress on your liver cells, and how well bile is flowing. An ALT above 25 for women, or 30 for men, is worth watching, even inside the "normal" range. This is often an early sign of a fatty liver, which is common across Southeast Asia.

Kidney group

What to check: creatinine, BUN, eGFR, uric acid.

What it tells you: how well your kidneys filter waste out of your blood. An eGFR under 90 is worth tracking. Under 60 needs a doctor's attention. Uric acid matters here too, since gout is common in the Philippines.

Thyroid group

What to check: TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

What it tells you: how your thyroid gland is working. Your thyroid controls your energy and your metabolism. A TSH of 3.5 with a low Free T3 can still explain tiredness and stubborn weight, even though the TSH alone looks "normal."

Nutrient group

What to check: vitamin D, B12, ferritin, folate.

What it tells you: what your body is actually absorbing from food. Ferritin stores iron. A ferritin under 50 ng/mL in a woman with normal hemoglobin can still mean low iron at the tissue level.

Step 4: Compare to the healthy target range

This step turns a routine report into something useful. For every result, do not just ask "is this normal?" Ask "is this healthy?"

If a result sits inside the normal range but outside the healthy target, treat it as a yellow flag. It is not an emergency. But it is worth working on, through diet, exercise, or a follow-up test.

Curious how your own numbers stack up against both ranges? Book a &you Labs panel and get every result shown against the standard range and the healthy target range, side by side.

Step 5: Compare to your own past results

One result is a single photo. Many results over time make a movie. If you have older reports, line up the same markers across the years. A glucose that moved from 88, to 92, to 96 over three years tells you more than one "normal" 96 on its own.

Step 6: Decide what to do

For each result outside the healthy target range, here is a simple way to think about next steps.

• Small, fixable gap. Try a lifestyle change for 8 to 12 weeks, then retest. Example: a glucose of 95 may improve with less white rice and a short walk after meals.
• Bigger gap. Talk to a doctor about a diet and exercise plan. You may also need a supplement. Retest in about 3 months.
• Red-flag result. Book a doctor's visit soon. See the list below.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Looking only at values marked "high" or "low," and skipping the borderline ones
• Treating one result as final, without checking it against past reports
• Comparing results from two different labs without accounting for different machines
• Reacting to a vitamin D, B12, or thyroid result without checking related markers too
• Making treatment choices from an online search alone, instead of a doctor's advice

When to see a doctor

Book a doctor's appointment soon if you see any of these on your report:

• Fasting glucose over 125 mg/dL, or HbA1c over 6.5% (the diabetes range)
• LDL over 190 mg/dL, ApoB over 130 mg/dL, or triglycerides over 500 mg/dL
• eGFR under 60, or a creatinine that jumped by more than 0.3 mg/dL since your last test
• ALT or AST more than double the normal upper limit
• TSH over 10 mIU/L, or any abnormal Free T3 or Free T4
• Hemoglobin under 10 g/dL, or platelets under 100,000
• A new "high" result paired with symptoms, like tiredness, swelling, a racing heart, or weight loss

Frequently asked questions

What if my doctor says everything is normal, but I still feel unwell?

Ask about the healthy target range, not just the normal range. Bring up HbA1c, fasting insulin, ApoB, hs-CRP, and a full thyroid panel. These are the markers most often left off a standard Philippine checkup.

How long does it take for a biomarker to change?

HbA1c reflects about three months of blood sugar, so it moves slowly. Fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and ALT can shift in 4 to 8 weeks. Vitamin D needs 8 to 12 weeks of steady supplements to rise. Ferritin moves the slowest of all. Give it 12 weeks or more.

Should I fast before my blood test?

Fast for 8 to 12 hours before your draw. Water is fine. This matters most for glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and your full cholesterol panel. Most other markers do not need fasting.

What does SGPT mean in a blood test?

SGPT is the name most Philippine labs print for ALT. It is a liver enzyme, which is a protein made inside your liver cells. When those cells are stressed, more of it leaks into your blood. SGOT is the same idea for AST.

Why do my results look different from a friend's, even from the same lab?

Every machine is slightly different, so ranges shift a little between labs. More importantly, your age, sex, medications, recent illness, exercise, and even how much water you drank all change your numbers. Compare your own results over time, not against someone else's.

Does a &you Labs report show the healthy target range?

Yes. Every &you Labs report shows the standard lab range and the healthy target range side by side, with a doctor's written notes on what it means for you.

Key takeaways

• Read your results in groups, not as single numbers sitting alone.
• "Normal" is an average. "Healthy" is a goal. Aim for the healthy target range.
• ApoB, fasting insulin, hs-CRP, vitamin D, and a full thyroid panel are the biggest gaps in a standard Philippine checkup.
• A trend across several reports tells you more than one result on its own.
• See a doctor quickly for any red-flag result, or any result paired with symptoms.