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Pillar / Labs and biomarkers

Labs and biomarkers

What the common lab values mean, where the reference ranges come from, and when an at-home test is enough.

1 guide · last checked

A rack of barcoded blood-sample tubes with orange caps in a laboratory.
Photo: Charlie-Helen Robinson / Pexels

01  /  Start here

Guides, newest first

02  /  What we recommend

Services we have checked

We include products and services we think are useful. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission. Here is how we pick.

At-home lab tests

4.0

Everlywell

Best for readers who want a baseline or a between-visit check on a specific marker and will take the result to a clinician.

Everlywell is a reasonable way to get a finger-prick A1C, lipid or testosterone number without a clinic visit, at $49 to $149 a test, with CLIA-lab processing and physician review. It is a screening tool, not a diagnosis, and it is not sold in New York.

HbA1c $49; cholesterol and lipids $49; heart health panel $99

Read our review Shop tests

03  /  Numbers to track

Biomarkers that matter here

ALT (alanine aminotransferase)

ALT

Healthy upper limit: 33 or lower U/L

eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)

eGFR

G1: normal or high (CKD only with damage markers): 90 or higher mL/min/1.73m²

Ferritin

Iron deficiency: under 15 µg/L