Blood test results re: kidney related levels

Hello, good Dr’s.

  1. 54 years old, male, caucasion
  2. 5’7"
  3. 208 lbs.
  4. 39.5" waist at navel
  5. 25% body fat (Navy method) - I certainly wouldn’t consider myself “jacked”, but I’m not a weakling either
  6. Family history of kidney disease (my father). I’ve also passed a kidney stone (small, about 12 years ago), but otherwise have had no obvious problems.
  7. I typically consume 165g of protein daily
  8. I supplement with Peri-Rx on training days (3 days/wk, one scoop both before and after training) and creatine monohydrate on my 4 non-training days/wk (5,000mg per day)

You can find some of my ongoing weight loss and training history in this recent post of mine:
https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/forums/nutrition-q-a-with-dr-jordan-feigenbaum/32997-update-the-good-the-bad-maybe-and-the-ugly-maybe

I took advantage of a free blood test sponsored by my employer. My blood was drawn first thing in the a.m., and I hadn’t had anything to eat in the previous 12 hours. Also, my last creatine supplement intake was 24 hours prior to the blood draw.

I just got the results back, and I’m a little concerned

From digesting much of your content about creatine supplementation, I expected my creatinine level to came back high…but not this high: it shows as 1.65 (reference range indicated .67 to 1.3)

Also out of the reference ranges:

  1. Blood urea nitrogen - 23 (reference range indicated 6 to 20)
  2. GFR - 46 (reference range indicated >=60)
  3. LDL - 115 (reference range indicated <=100)
  4. Non-HDL Cholesterol - 132 (reference range indicated <=129)
  5. Hematocrit - 51.6 (reference range indicated 40 - 51)

So, I’m not quite sure how to interpret all of this. From what I’ve read, the creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and GFR measurements all have to do with kidney function. I know that creatinine levels can be elevated by creatine supplementation, but does it also impact these other measurements? If so, are these measurements in line with what you might expect from somebody using creatine?

I assume you’d recommend I consult with a physician?

Thanks!!

Yes, 1.65 is higher than I’d expect for most lifters, especially since you don’t sound like you’re super jacked. This isn’t necessarily anything to panic about, but it deserves to be re-checked and further evaluated by a physician.