Weight Management Blood Profile
Are you struggling to lose weight or suddenly gaining weight without obvious reason. Weight gain and the inability to lose weight can be caused by a variety of health issues. If dieting and exercise is not working this blood test of 26 biomarkers can help determine if the cause is hormone, stress, diabetes, anaemia, or cholesterol related.
What do we test?
Adrenal Hormones
Problems with the adrenal glands can cause them to make too much cortisol. The most common is a tumor in the outer part of the adrenal gland called an adrenal adenoma. These tumors are not cancer, and only some of them make too much cortisol. The symptoms however, can be rapid weight gain, facial flushing, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, anxiety, depression and mood swings.
– Cortisol
Cholesterol
The higher your cholesterol, the higher your risk of going on to have a heart attack or stroke. But you can’t tell how high it is without a test, which is why it’s important to get tested.
– LDL cholesterol
– Non-HDL cholesterol
– HDL cholesterol
– Total cholesterol
– Total cholesterol/HDL ratio
– Triglycerides
Diabetes
Stay on top of your blood sugar levels with HbA1c measurement to screen for, and diagnose diabetes and prediabetes .
– HbA1c
Hormones
Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate processes in our body. They are one factor in causing obesity.
– Oestradiol/estrogen
– Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
– Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
Inflammation
Track inflammation with C-Reactive Protein (CRP) which has been found to be a strong factor associated with obesity. Research shows that inflammation effects feedback the brain receives so that leptin levels remain low triggering the appetite to increase and metabolism to slow, making weight loss pursuits even harder.
– C-Reactive protein
Iron Status
This profile of blood tests focuses on iron levels to check for anaemia. Low levels of iron and Vitamin B12 can cause symptoms of tiredness, muscle weakness and shortness of breath. You may also find that low iron causes weight gain due to low energy levels resulting in lower exercise levels and the thyroid function being compromised resulting in an underactive thyroid.
– Ferritin
– Iron
– Transferrin
Liver Function
Elevated liver enzymes often indicate inflammation or damage to cells in the liver. The 3 main causes of liver disease are, obesity, undiagnosed hepatitis infection and alcohol misuse. Some liver problems can be treated with lifestyle modifications.
– Globulin calculation
– Albumin
– Total protein
– Bilirubin
– Alanine AminoTransferase (ALT)
– Gamma-GlutamylTransferase (GGT)
– Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)
Thyroid Function
Vitamins
Low levels of Vitamin D can cause tiredness, fatigue, muscle weakness, depression and lead to more frequent illnesses and infections. Indirectly these symptoms can cause weight gain
– Vitamin D