How our expertise can help you- An Example 

 

While clinical biochemistry is prerequisite, the blood analysis of athletes particularly needs specialized consideration.  For example many athletes have high levels of ALT and AST which are non-specific liver enzymes; these enzymes can also come from muscle.  High intensity training causes damage to the muscle cell membrane, allowing these enzymes to leak out into the blood.  To a non-specialist doctor, this looks as though there is liver damage; however, we test for creatine kinase, a muscle-specific enzyme, to ensure that the origin of the enzymes is muscle, not liver. 

 

Similarly in athletes consuming a high protein diet, Urea levels are often elevated due to the protein being used for energy, not solely for tissue building, therefore the body excretes the excess nitrogen from the protein in the form of urea.  Without detailed specialist knowledge and experience, it is likely that your blood tests will result in erroneous prognosis.