What your results mean
A plain-language guide to the markers Zaro tests, what each one measures, and why it's on the panel.
ApoB
ApoB is a protein that sits on the surface of every LDL, VLDL, and Lp(a) particle in your blood. Since each of these particles carries exactly one ApoB molecule, measuring ApoB gives you a direct count of the total number of potentially artery-clogging particles circulating in your bloodstream.
Lp(a)
Lp(a) is an LDL-like particle with an extra protein attached that makes it more prone to promoting clotting and inflammation inside artery walls. Unlike most cardiovascular risk factors, your Lp(a) level is set almost entirely by genetics and stays roughly constant throughout adult life.
hs-CRP
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein measures low-grade, systemic inflammation circulating in your blood, at concentrations too subtle for a standard CRP test used to detect acute infection to pick up.
Fasting Insulin
Fasting insulin measures how much insulin your pancreas is producing to keep your blood sugar in a normal range after an overnight fast.
HbA1c
HbA1c reflects your average blood sugar level over the preceding two to three months, based on how much glucose has attached itself to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells.
LDL Particle Size & Fractionation
NMR lipid fractionation breaks your LDL cholesterol down into the actual particles that carry it, reporting particle number, particle size, and how much is carried in small, dense particles versus larger, more buoyant ones.
Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid produced during normal protein metabolism. It's normally broken down quickly with the help of B vitamins, particularly B12 and folate, so an elevated level often points to a slowdown somewhere in that process.
TSH
Thyroid-stimulating hormone is produced by the pituitary gland to tell your thyroid how much thyroid hormone to make. It moves inversely to thyroid hormone output: TSH rises when the thyroid is underactive and falls when it's overactive.
Vitamin D
25-hydroxyvitamin D is the storage form of vitamin D circulating in your blood and the standard marker used to assess vitamin D status.
Ferritin
Ferritin is the protein that stores iron inside your cells, and measuring it in blood is the standard way to estimate your body's total iron reserves.
Testosterone (Total & Free)
Total testosterone measures all of the testosterone circulating in your blood, while free testosterone measures the smaller portion that isn't bound to carrier proteins and is actually available for your tissues to use.
Cortisol (AM)
Cortisol is the primary hormone your adrenal glands release in response to stress, and it naturally follows a daily rhythm, highest shortly after waking and gradually declining through the day. A morning draw captures it near that daily peak, which is when it is most informative.
OmegaCheck
OmegaCheck measures the percentage of EPA and DHA, the two primary omega-3 fatty acids, present in your red blood cell membranes, reported as a single Omega-3 Index.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
The Comprehensive Metabolic Panel is a group of 14 values covering blood sugar, kidney function, electrolyte balance, and liver enzymes in a single draw: glucose, BUN, creatinine, eGFR, BUN/creatinine ratio, sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2, calcium, total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, ALP, AST, and ALT.
CBC with Differential
A Complete Blood Count with Differential measures the number, size, and type of cells circulating in your blood, including red blood cells, five types of white blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets, 22 values in total.
Uric Acid
Uric acid is a waste product created when your body breaks down purines, compounds found naturally in the body and in certain foods, and is normally filtered out by the kidneys.
Standard Lipid Panel
The Standard Lipid Panel measures total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, the foundational cardiovascular risk markers most people are already familiar with from an annual physical.
Complete Urinalysis with Microscopy
A urinalysis examines the physical, chemical, and microscopic properties of a urine sample, covering 14 values including color, clarity, specific gravity, pH, protein, glucose, ketones, blood, and cell counts under the microscope.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient your body needs to make red blood cells and maintain healthy nerve function, and it's obtained almost entirely from animal products.
Iron & TIBC
Iron and Total Iron-Binding Capacity, along with the percent saturation calculated from them, together describe how much iron is circulating in your blood and how much of your blood's iron-carrying capacity is actually being used.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral involved in several hundred enzymatic reactions in the body, including energy production, muscle and nerve function, and blood pressure regulation.
Free T3
Free T3 measures the active, unbound form of triiodothyronine, the more biologically potent of the two main thyroid hormones, circulating in your blood.
Free T4
Free T4 measures the active, unbound form of thyroxine, the primary hormone your thyroid gland produces, most of which is later converted to the more active T3 in tissues throughout the body.
DHEA-S
DHEA-S is a hormone produced primarily by the adrenal glands that serves as a building block your body converts into other hormones, including testosterone and estrogen.
Estradiol
Estradiol (E2) is the primary form of estrogen in the body and plays a central role in reproductive health, bone density, and cardiovascular health.
FSH
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone is produced by the pituitary gland and regulates the menstrual cycle and egg development.
LH
Luteinizing Hormone is produced by the pituitary gland and works alongside FSH to regulate ovulation and the menstrual cycle.
Progesterone
Progesterone is a hormone produced primarily after ovulation that prepares the body to support a potential pregnancy and helps regulate the menstrual cycle.
Folate
Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is a nutrient your body needs for cell division and DNA synthesis, obtained from leafy greens, legumes, and fortified foods.
Zinc
Zinc is a trace mineral involved in immune function, wound healing, and hundreds of enzymatic reactions throughout the body.
GGT
Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase is a liver enzyme that rises when the liver or bile ducts are under stress, and it is particularly sensitive to alcohol intake.
Microalbumin/Creatinine Ratio
This test measures the small amount of albumin protein that leaks into urine relative to creatinine, detecting kidney stress at a level far more sensitive than a standard urinalysis can pick up.
Fibrinogen
Fibrinogen is a protein produced by the liver that's essential for blood clotting, and it also behaves as an inflammatory marker, rising in response to inflammation elsewhere in the body.
TPO Antibodies
Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies are produced when the immune system mistakenly targets an enzyme the thyroid uses to produce hormone, and their presence is a marker of autoimmune thyroid activity.
Thyroglobulin Antibodies
Thyroglobulin antibodies target a protein the thyroid uses to store and produce hormone, and like TPO antibodies, their presence signals autoimmune activity against the thyroid.
ESR
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a test tube over an hour, a simple physical test that rises when inflammatory proteins in the blood are elevated.
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is a nutrient essential for converting the food you eat into usable energy and for normal nerve function.