Basics
21 articles on Basics in the Lab2go blog, newest first.
The basics articles introduce the lab values found in almost every blood test: blood count, iron status, blood lipids and inflammation markers. They are a good starting point before you dig into individual markers.
- In the glossary: Hemoglobin CRP (C-Reactive Protein) LDL Cholesterol
- Statistics: Iron Deficiency in Germany
21
articles
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12 min
Histamine & Bloodwork: What Allergy Tests Show (and Don't)
Watery eyes, a runny nose, skin rashes — but where do they really come from? What an allergy lab panel can show, where its limits are, and why the work-up is done by doctors.
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11 min
Liver Values After Winter: What the Numbers Mean
After Christmas, New Year's, and long nights indoors, many people's liver values are mildly elevated in spring. An overview of what AST, ALT, and GGT show — and how doctors interpret such values.
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12 min
Cholesterol Values Explained: LDL, HDL, Triglycerides
LDL below 116, HDL above 50, triglycerides below 150 mg/dl? Here is how a lipid panel can be read and what influences the values.
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14 min
Complete Blood Count Explained: Every Value at a Glance
A CBC measures 15+ values across red cells, white cells, and platelets. All parameters, reference ranges, and what results outside the reference range mean — for 15-30 euros.
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11 min
Inflammation Markers in Blood: CRP, White Blood Cells & More
hsCRP below 1 mg/L is considered low risk, above 3 mg/L elevated. A factual overview of CRP, white blood cells, and ESR.
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12 min
Understanding Liver Values: AST, ALT, GGT, Bilirubin
ALT below 45, AST below 35, GGT below 60 U/L? How liver values can be interpreted, how fatty liver shows up and which misinterpretations occur.
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11 min
Magnesium Forms Compared: Glycinate, Citrate, Oxide
Glycinate, citrate, oxide and four more: seven magnesium forms compared objectively, with elemental content, research status, interactions and whole-blood reference range.
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12 min
Understanding Thyroid Values: TSH, Free T3, Free T4
TSH alone shows only part of the picture. How TSH, fT3, fT4 and TPO antibodies work together, which reference ranges apply and what to know about the blood draw.
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11 min
Vitamin D3 and K2: How They Work Together
What vitamin D3 and K2 do in calcium metabolism, how to read the 25-OH value and which interactions are known: a factual overview.
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11 min
Ferritin & Iron Deficiency: What the Iron Values Measure
30 % of women have ferritin below 30 ng/ml — and don't know it. The article explains the iron panel, the 3 stages of deficiency, and what influences ferritin.
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11 min
Omega 3, EPA and DHA: Evidence and the Omega-3 Index
The Omega-3 Index measures the share of EPA and DHA in red blood cells. A factual overview of the evidence, measurement, quality labels and risks.
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12 min
Supplements for Beginners: What the Evidence Says
Five commonly discussed supplements at a glance: what studies investigate, which lab values are involved and what doctors derive from them.
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14 min
Understanding Blood Values: The Complete Beginner's Guide
What do blood values really mean? This guide explains 12 key markers, their reference ranges, and how values can be documented.
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11 min
Vitamin D Deficiency: What the Lab Value Measures
About 60 % of Germans have vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/l. Symptoms, reference ranges, and what doctors take from the results.
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12 min
Peptides for Beginners: Basics and Legal Status
Peptides between lab, medicine and regulation: what they are, what is approved, what the evidence shows and why questions about them are clarified medically.
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11 min
Creatine: Research on Strength, Cognition & Aging 2026
Research on creatine monohydrate in strength, cognition and muscle preservation. Why creatinine can rise and what doctors derive from it.
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12 min
B-Vitamins Overview: Roles and Lab Values (2026)
B12 below 400 pg/ml? Homocysteine above 10 µmol/l? What these values mean, what influences them and what doctors derive from them.
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9 min
Iron Supplementation: Lab Values and Evidence
What does a low ferritin value mean? What iron values show, how iron forms differ and what the research says — purely informational, to be clarified with a doctor.
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11 min
Kidney Values Explained: Creatinine, GFR, Urea
Creatinine below 1.3 mg/dl, eGFR above 90, BUN below 20 mg/dl? How kidney values are interpreted and how early changes show up.
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18 min
Long-Term Biomarker Tracking: Your 12-Month Playbook
4 measurements per year, 12 markers, 4 quarterly KPIs: Your 12-month biomarker tracking playbook — with 18-month scenario from hsCRP 2.8 to 0.7 mg/L.
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10 min
Biomarker Baseline: The Complete Measurement Preparation Checklist
Without a clean baseline, you measure noise, not signal. This checklist describes what influences lab values and how to document measurements so they stay comparable across months.