Advanced Diabetes Blood Test

eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) tells you how well your kidneys are filtering your blood—essentially measuring their efficiency. It's calculated from your creatinine level along with your age, sex, and ethnicity. A higher number is better: above 90 is generally normal, while lower numbers suggest declining kidney function. This marker is especially important for people with diabetes because diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy) is one of the most common complications of long-term high blood sugar. The good news is that kidney damage from diabetes develops slowly and can often be slowed or prevented with good blood sugar and blood pressure control. Regular eGFR monitoring helps catch problems early when intervention works best. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

Total cholesterol is the overall amount of cholesterol in your blood—combining HDL ('good'), LDL ('bad'), and other types. Your body needs cholesterol to build cells, make hormones, and produce vitamin D, so it's not inherently bad. The issue is balance. For people with diabetes or prediabetes, cholesterol management is especially important because high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, and high cholesterol accelerates that damage. This is why cardiovascular disease is the leading complication of diabetes. Checking your total cholesterol alongside your HbA1c gives you both pieces of the metabolic puzzle. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the 'bad' cholesterol that can build up in your artery walls and form plaques over time. For people with diabetes, LDL control is particularly critical—diabetes already increases cardiovascular risk, and high LDL compounds that significantly. Many diabetes guidelines recommend tighter LDL targets than for the general population, and statins are commonly prescribed even when LDL isn't dramatically elevated. Diet helps too: cutting back on saturated fats, eating more fibre, and maintaining a healthy weight can all bring LDL down. Lower is generally better for this marker. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the 'good' cholesterol—you want this one higher. It works like a cleanup crew, collecting excess cholesterol from your arteries and transporting it back to your liver for disposal. Higher HDL levels are associated with lower cardiovascular risk. Unfortunately, people with diabetes often have lower HDL and higher triglycerides—a pattern sometimes called 'diabetic dyslipidaemia' that further increases heart disease risk. Exercise is one of the best ways to boost HDL, along with quitting smoking and eating healthy fats like olive oil and nuts. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

Non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your HDL—so it captures all the potentially harmful types in one number. Many doctors now consider this a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than LDL alone, especially for people with diabetes. It includes LDL plus other problematic particles like VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein), which tends to be elevated when triglycerides are high—common in diabetes. The nice thing about non-HDL is that it's accurate even without fasting, making it a practical marker to track. Target is generally below 4 mmol/L for most people. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

This ratio divides your total cholesterol by your HDL, giving you a quick snapshot of cardiovascular risk. It's useful because it shows the balance between all your cholesterol and the protective HDL fraction. A lower ratio is better—it means you have proportionally more of the good stuff. Someone with moderately high total cholesterol but excellent HDL might have a healthier ratio than someone with lower total cholesterol but rock-bottom HDL. For people with diabetes, this ratio is often part of the regular monitoring alongside HbA1c to track overall metabolic health. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

Triglycerides are blood fats that your body uses for energy. When you eat more calories than you need, your body converts the excess into triglycerides and stores them in fat cells. They're particularly relevant in diabetes because high blood sugar and insulin resistance both drive triglycerides up. The classic 'diabetic dyslipidaemia' pattern is high triglycerides combined with low HDL and small, dense LDL particles—a triple threat for cardiovascular disease. Triglycerides respond well to lifestyle changes: cutting back on sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol can bring them down significantly. They're also heavily influenced by recent food intake, which is why avoiding fatty foods before testing helps. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

HbA1c is the gold standard for measuring long-term blood sugar control. It tells you what your average blood glucose has been over the past 2-3 months by measuring how much sugar has attached to the haemoglobin in your red blood cells. Unlike a finger-prick glucose test that shows what's happening right now, HbA1c gives you the bigger picture—it won't be thrown off by what you ate yesterday or whether you fasted this morning. Doctors use specific thresholds: below 42 mmol/mol is normal, 42-47 indicates prediabetes (higher risk of developing diabetes), and 48 or above is in the diabetic range. If you're already managing diabetes, your target HbA1c will depend on your individual circumstances. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.

This is calculated from your HbA1c result and gives you an estimated average blood glucose in mmol/L—the same units you'd see on a home glucose meter. It helps translate your HbA1c into something more familiar and relatable to day-to-day readings. For example, an HbA1c of 48 mmol/mol roughly corresponds to an average glucose of about 8.6 mmol/L. While it's an estimate rather than a direct measurement, it's useful for understanding what your blood sugar has been doing on average over the past few months. If you monitor your glucose at home, you can compare this average to your own readings. Results outside the normal range may need a follow-up with your GP.