On Mon, 6 Apr 2009 10:12:00 -0700, Todd Reed <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Howdy all,
>
>I'm wondering if there are any web resources for interpreting a blood test
>from the paleo perspective?
>
>I've got a blood test I had done a couple of years ago. I'm thinking of
>redoing it. I don't really understand most of the tests listed but I'm
>familiar with the cholesterol/HDL/triglyceride tests from lurking on this
>list. 

There is no one source for all the data (though this one is pretty good:
"Comparing High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Diets vs. High-Carbohydrate/Low-Fat
Diets," by Loren Cordain, Ph.D., 1999, http://www.karlloren.com/diet/p41.htm). 

This is data for male adults that over the years I've found and saved from
multiple sources:

Health statistic measured: "Normal" Range ... Optimal (HGs and athletes)
		
Blood Pressure Numerator (Systolic): 110-130 ... 100-117
Blood Pressure Denominator (Diastolic): 70-80 ... 64-72
Resting pulse (Heart Rate): 60-80 ... 28-60
Cholesterol, serum (total): 140-200 mg/dl ... ~90-150 (for most HGs, with
194-208 for Inuit far above avg for HGs)
Triglyceride (<10 is dangerous): 35-160 mg/dl ... 35-60 (Inuit)
HDL (good) cholesterol: >40 mg/dl, preferably over 60 ... 154.7 for Inuit
(probably much higher than avg for HGs)
LDL ("bad" + neutral) cholesterol: <130 mg/dl ... 30-70

So as you can see, what the labs and doctors consider "normal" is not
optimal or natural. In clinical/lab terms, "normal" means an average range
for people in a modern society who don't display severe enough symptoms to
warrant a disease diagnosis under current diagnosis standards (which change
over time). In other words, fairly arbitrary data. Because the definition of
"normal" is arbitrary, it has tended to change for numerous health stats and
diagnoses over time. 

For example, <100 used to be considered "normal" for LDL, but more
scientists now ascribe to the HG level of <70 as being "normal." Also, the
level of antibodies required to give a diagnosis of a "seropositive marker"
for celiac disease has fallen and will likely continue to fall as scientists
realize that the body is affected by far lower levels of antibodies than
they realized and as they gather more data on HGs and find the near absence
of such antibodies.