Cholesterol

• Elevated levels of cholesterol are associated with a greater risk of heart disease and stroke. A cholesterol test actually measures three levels: total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol and HDL "high" cholesterol. According to the national Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, a total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL and an LDL cholesterol under 100 are the ideal.
  
  LDL levels above 160 are cause for alarm. A range of 100-130 is normal and under 100 is optimal.
  
  Higher HDL levels are better. The average range for men is 40 to 50 and for women it's 50 to 60. Numbers below this increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.
  
  

Glucose

• A fasting glucose blood test occurs hours after abstaining from eating to get a more accurate look at your blood levels when they are not being swayed or spiked by the foods you've recently eaten. Proper fasting lasts six hours and means you don't eat or drink anything except water, not even coffee. A normal range is under 100 mg/dL, typically between 60 and 99. A person may be at risk of developing diabetes within the 100 to 125 mg/dL range. Any number above 126 typically leads to a diagnosis of diabetes.
  
  

Iron

• Iron is important to many functions. Low levels could be a sign of anemia; perhaps the patient is a vegetarian who tends to have lower iron stores. There is a wide spectrum for iron measurement. For women, the range is between 40 and 150 mcg/dL and for men it's between 50 and 175 mcg/dL.
  
  

Triglycerides

• The triglyceride blood test measures fat in your blood. High triglyceride levels combined with unhealthy cholesterol numbers could indicate a person headed for a heart attack. Typically people with elevated triglyceride levels are overweight, smoke, don't exercise and/or have unhealthy eating habits. A normal reading is under 150 mg/dL. A range of 150 to 199 is considered less safe. Anything above 200 is considered dangerous.
  
  

Electrolytes

• An electrolyte blood test measures five chemicals: calcium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and sodium. Normal ranges for calcium are 4.5 to 5.5 mEq/L. A normal range for chloride is between 97 to 107 mEq/L. Optimal levels of potassium fall between 3.5 and 5.3 mEq/L. The healthy range for magnesium is 1.5 to 2.5 mEq/L. For sodium it is 136 to 145 mEq/L. These substances all play a vital role in the body's basic processes from fluid retention to kidney function. An imbalance in any of these numbers can be cause for alarm.