What does a blood test for weight management show?
Cholesterol (lipid profile) — 7 biomarkers
Cholesterol is an essential fat that your body produces. It helps make vitamin D and hormones. Your body needs cholesterol to stay healthy, but too much can increase your risk of heart disease.
High cholesterol has no symptoms, so regular testing is the only way to keep track of your levels.
The cholesterol home test, also called a lipid profile test, measures the different types of fats in your blood.
The cholesterol home test checks 7 biomarkers:
- LDL
- Non HDL cholesterol
- HDL
- Total cholesterol
- Triglycerides
- Total cholesterol: HDL ratio
- Triglycerides: HDL ratio
HbA1c (diabetes risk) — 1 biomarker
An HbA1c test measures your average blood sugar (glucose) levels over the past 3 months. This can help you understand your risk of developing type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
When the amount of sugar in your blood rises, any that your body can’t use attaches to red blood cells to form glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).
Red blood cells live for around 3 months, which is why a HbA1c test measures the average blood sugar over the past few months.
The at-home HbA1c test will show you whether you have healthy levels of HbA1c.
Thyroid function — 2 biomarkers
The thyroid is a gland at the front of your neck that produces hormones (T3 and T4).
If it becomes underactive, it may not release the right levels of these hormones. This can result in symptoms such as weight gain and fatigue.
The at-home thyroid blood test checks levels of free thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which regulates the release of thyroid hormones.
