Blood sugar and lipids

Blood sugar level; a fasting value reflects how your body manages glucose.

Average blood sugar over roughly the past three months.

The hormone that moves glucose into cells; high fasting levels can signal insulin resistance.

An index that estimates insulin resistance from fasting glucose and insulin.

A marker of how much insulin the pancreas is producing.

Total cholesterol in the blood (LDL, HDL and others combined).

"Bad" cholesterol — higher levels accelerate arterial plaque.

"Good" cholesterol — helps remove cholesterol from the arteries.

The cholesterol carried by very-low-density lipoproteins — the particles that mainly transport triglycerides.

A blood fat; high levels are linked with metabolic risk.

Lipoprotein(a) — an LDL-like particle whose level is set largely by genetics and changes little through life. Usually measured once.

Apolipoprotein A1 — the main protein of HDL particles, so it reflects how much cholesterol-removing capacity is circulating.

The share of omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cell membranes — a longer-term picture of intake than a single blood level.

How much omega-6 there is relative to omega-3. Read alongside the omega-3 index rather than on its own.

A blood waste product; high levels can cause gout and relate to metabolic risk.