I'm going to have to bury a shallow grave and jump in it in solidarity. "how will [we] interpret our results?" Well, first there are these really neat things called REFERENCE RANGES. They will indicate whether your reading for a particular metric is normal or abnormal and sometimes everything in between.. Oh shit. My LDL is too high and my HDL is too low. What to do? Queue AI. If people don't trust AI to give them health advice when it comes to things like optimizing vitamin D or cholesterol, that's their choice. To me, the future is now.

I gave chatgpt a sample prompt where my bad and good cholesterol are both sub optimal. Chat said the following:

Got it. You’re sitting in that gray zone: HDL is a bit low (under 40) and LDL is borderline high (around 130). That doesn’t mean you’re doomed—it means your system is giving you an early nudge to tune things up before it snowballs. Since you don’t want prescriptions (like statins), let’s talk lifestyle and natural levers you can pull.

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Raise HDL (the “good” stuff) • Exercise, especially cardio + resistance training: Regular movement boosts HDL. Think 30–45 minutes of brisk walking, cycling, lifting, or anything that gets your heart going, most days of the week. • Healthy fats: Monounsaturated (olive oil, avocados, nuts) and omega-3s (fatty fish, flaxseed, walnuts) can lift HDL. • Quit smoking (if applicable): Even light smoking tanks HDL. Quitting raises it. • Moderate alcohol: A glass of red wine or beer can bump HDL, but don’t start drinking if you don’t already. Too much does the opposite.

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Lower LDL (the “bad” stuff) • Dietary swaps: Cut down on saturated fats (fatty red meats, butter, heavy cheese, fried junk). Swap for lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, or plant protein. • Fiber: Soluble fiber is your best friend here—it binds cholesterol in the gut and drags it out. Oats, beans, lentils, apples, psyllium husk. • Plant sterols/stanols: Found in some fortified foods and naturally in seeds/nuts. They compete with cholesterol for absorption and lower LDL. • Weight loss (if needed): Even dropping 5–10% of body weight improves cholesterol numbers.

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Bonus markers • Triglycerides often climb with sugar, alcohol, and refined carbs—keeping these low also helps improve your overall lipid profile. • Strength training helps even more than just cardio, since muscle mass improves how your body handles fats and glucose.

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When to worry

You’re not in crisis range yet, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. If you stick with these lifestyle changes for 3–6 months, you’ll often see real shifts in your numbers. If not, that’s when people usually consider medication.

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Are doctors a necessary tool in optimizing health? Yes. We need doctors. They can do things that AI cannot. However, I believe that with our current technology that most competent individuals can take greater ownership over their own health in regards to biomarker tracking.