What is the interpretation of the laboratory results for a 46-year-old male with normal Albumin, slightly elevated Iron, normal Transferrin Saturation, low C-Reactive Protein, normal Hemoglobin A1c, normal Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone, normal Cortisol, normal Testosterone levels, and normal Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin?

Laboratory Interpretation for 46-Year-Old Male

All laboratory values are within normal limits and indicate excellent metabolic, endocrine, and iron status with no evidence of inflammation, diabetes risk, or hormonal dysfunction.

Iron Studies Analysis

Your iron panel demonstrates optimal iron metabolism without deficiency or overload:

• Serum Iron 117 mcg/dL is within the normal range of 60-180 mcg/dL 1
• Transferrin Saturation 39% falls within the normal range of 20-50% and is well above the iron deficiency threshold of <20% 1
• TIBC 302 mcg/dL is normal (normal range 250-450 mcg/dL), indicating appropriate transferrin levels 1
• UIBC 184.8 mcg/dL is calculated as TIBC minus serum iron, and this value is appropriate 1

Clinical Significance: A transferrin saturation of 39% indicates that approximately 39% of transferrin binding sites are occupied by iron, which reflects adequate iron readily available for red blood cell production 1. This level excludes both absolute iron deficiency (which would show TSAT <20%) and iron overload (which would show TSAT >45%) 1.

Ferritin Assessment

While ferritin was not provided in your results, it should be measured if there are any concerns about iron stores, as transferrin saturation alone does not reflect total body iron reserves 1, 2. However, given your normal transferrin saturation and serum iron, clinically significant iron deficiency is extremely unlikely 2.

Inflammatory Status

• CRP <0.3 mg/dL indicates absence of systemic inflammation 2

Clinical Significance: Low CRP confirms that your iron studies are not confounded by inflammation, which can falsely elevate ferritin and mask iron deficiency 2, 3. This makes your iron parameters highly reliable 2.

Metabolic and Diabetes Screening

• Hemoglobin A1c 5.1% is well within the normal range (<5.7%) and indicates excellent long-term glucose control with no diabetes or prediabetes 1
• Random Insulin 7.80 μIU/mL is within normal fasting range (2-25 μIU/mL), suggesting normal insulin secretion and no insulin resistance 1

Clinical Significance: These values indicate normal glucose metabolism and very low risk for type 2 diabetes 1.

Thyroid Function

• TSH 1.560 mIU/L is within the normal range of 0.4-4.0 mIU/L, indicating normal thyroid function 1

Clinical Significance: This TSH level excludes both hypothyroidism (TSH >4.0) and hyperthyroidism (TSH <0.4) 1. No further thyroid testing is needed 1.

Adrenal Function

• Cortisol 11.00 mcg/dL is within normal range, though interpretation depends on timing of collection 1

Clinical Significance: Morning cortisol levels of 10-20 mcg/dL are normal; afternoon levels of 3-10 mcg/dL are normal 1. Your value suggests appropriate adrenal function without evidence of Cushing's syndrome or adrenal insufficiency 1.

Testosterone and Androgen Status

Your testosterone profile is entirely normal for a 46-year-old male:

• Total Testosterone 496.0 ng/dL is within the normal adult male range of 300-1000 ng/dL 1
• Free Testosterone 12.25 ng/dL is normal (typical range 5-21 ng/dL) 1
• Bioavailable Testosterone 294.89 ng/dL represents testosterone available for tissue uptake (free plus albumin-bound) and is normal 4
• SHBG 23.6 nmol/L is within the normal male range of 10-57 nmol/L 1, 5
• Free Androgen Index 73 (calculated as total testosterone/SHBG × 100) is normal 1

Clinical Significance: Your testosterone levels exclude hypogonadism, which would be diagnosed with total testosterone <300 ng/dL on two separate morning measurements 1. The normal SHBG indicates that your calculated free testosterone is accurate and reliable 6. Your bioavailable testosterone (free plus albumin-bound) represents the hormonally active fraction and is optimal 4.

Protein Status

• Albumin 4.4 g/dL is within the normal range of 3.5-5.5 g/dL 6

Clinical Significance: Normal albumin confirms adequate nutritional status and liver synthetic function 6. This also validates your calculated free testosterone, as albumin is a key binding protein for testosterone 6. When albumin is ≤3.5 g/dL combined with SHBG ≤30 nmol/L, calculated free testosterone becomes less accurate, but your values are well above these thresholds 6.

Summary Assessment

No abnormalities detected. All parameters indicate:

• Optimal iron metabolism without deficiency or overload 1, 2
• Absence of inflammation 2
• Normal glucose metabolism and no diabetes risk 1
• Normal thyroid function 1
• Normal adrenal function 1
• Normal testosterone and androgen status for age 1, 4
• Adequate nutritional status 6

No further testing or intervention is indicated based on these results 7. These values should be interpreted in clinical context, and any symptoms warrant discussion with your physician regardless of normal laboratory values 7.