Health articles and guides

Browse our latest evidence-informed health articles, practical guides, and calculator explainers.

A lipid panel report showing cholesterol values beside mg/dL and mmol/L unit labels

Cholesterol mg/dL to mmol/L: how to convert your lipid units

Convert cholesterol with divide by 38.67 and triglycerides with divide by 88.57, see a worked LDL example, and avoid the glucose divide-by-18 trap.

Sheenam Midha 6 min read
Tape measure around the waist with neck and height markings showing Navy method inputs

Navy body fat formula: how the tape method estimates body fat

Learn which tape measurements the US Navy body fat formula uses, how to take them, and why the result is an estimate rather than a scan.

Sheenam Midha 7 min read
A blood glucose meter reading shown with mg/dL and mmol/L unit labels side by side

mg/dL to mmol/L: how to convert a blood sugar reading

Convert a single blood glucose reading between mg/dL and mmol/L with the divide-by-18 rule, a worked example, and common readings in both units.

Sheenam Midha 6 min read
A balanced meal, walking shoes, glucose meter, and A1C laboratory report arranged as a safe improvement plan

How to lower A1C safely: what changes the number and when

Learn how food, activity, medication, sleep, and testing conditions affect A1C, plus what a realistic improvement timeline looks like.

Sheenam Midha 10 min read
A water bottle, glass, hydrating foods, and exercise towel arranged as a flexible daily hydration plan

How much water should I drink? A practical daily guide

Estimate daily fluid needs from body size and context, then adjust for heat, exercise, food, pregnancy, illness, and medical restrictions.

Sheenam Midha 11 min read
A balanced plate divided among protein, high-fiber carbohydrates, vegetables, and healthy fats beside a practical macro plan

Macros for weight loss: how to set protein, carbs, and fat

Build a realistic macro target for weight loss without mistaking calculator precision for certainty or eliminating an entire food group.

Sheenam Midha 11 min read
Protein-rich foods, a scoop, and strength-training equipment arranged around a practical daily intake plan

Protein intake for muscle gain: a practical grams-per-day guide

Estimate a useful daily protein range for building muscle, then turn the number into meals without treating more protein as automatically better.

Sheenam Midha 11 min read
An exercise heart-rate trace falling during the first two minutes of recovery beside a stopwatch

Heart rate recovery chart: what your 1- and 2-minute drop means

Measure heart rate recovery consistently, compare one- and two-minute drops, and understand why protocol and symptoms matter more than one cutoff.

Sheenam Midha 10 min read
Five colored exercise intensity bands arranged around a heart-rate trace for different ages

Heart rate zones by age: a complete training chart

Five heart-rate zones by age, two ways to estimate maximum heart rate, where Zone 2 sits, and why the fat-burning zone is not a shortcut to fat loss.

Sheenam Midha 12 min read
Male and female body-composition silhouettes beside broad essential, athlete, fitness, and general ranges

Body fat percentage chart for men and women, by age

Body-fat categories for men and women, reference bands by age, and why the measuring method can matter as much as the category you land in.

Sheenam Midha 11 min read
A tape measure showing correct waist and hip landmarks beside a waist-to-hip ratio calculation

Waist-to-hip ratio chart: how to measure and read your result

Measure waist and hips consistently, calculate the ratio, and understand sex-specific risk bands and their limitations.

Sheenam Midha 9 min read
A kidney illustration beside an age-based eGFR trend chart and laboratory creatinine tube

eGFR levels by age: a chart with important caveats

See population-average eGFR levels by age and learn why kidney disease cannot be diagnosed from age or one creatinine-based estimate alone.

Sheenam Midha 11 min read
Adults at different life stages reviewing an A1C result with individualized care considerations

Normal A1C by age: do targets change for older adults?

Diagnostic A1C thresholds stay consistent in adulthood, but safe treatment goals may change with health, medicines, and hypoglycemia risk.

Sheenam Midha 9 min read
A blood glucose meter beside a simple age-aware fasting and after-meal range chart

Blood sugar chart by age: fasting and after-meal ranges

A clear blood sugar chart that separates diagnostic cutoffs from common diabetes treatment targets and explains when age changes the plan.

Sheenam Midha 10 min read
Triglyceride and HDL laboratory values combining into a ratio beside a blood vessel illustration

Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio: formula, ranges, and limits

Calculate the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio, understand what a higher result may suggest, and learn why it cannot replace the full lipid panel.

Sheenam Midha 9 min read
A lipid panel showing total cholesterol minus HDL to reveal non-HDL cholesterol

Non-HDL cholesterol calculation: formula and target ranges

Learn the non-HDL cholesterol formula, see worked examples, and understand why this simple value can add context when triglycerides are elevated.

Sheenam Midha 9 min read
Three lipid-panel ratios compared beside measured total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides

Cholesterol ratio chart: total/HDL, LDL/HDL, and TG/HDL

Compare the three cholesterol ratios, learn each formula, and understand why lower is not the only thing that matters.

Sheenam Midha 9 min read
An A1C laboratory result converting into estimated average glucose values beside a glucose meter

A1C to blood glucose conversion: chart, formula, and examples

Convert A1C to estimated average glucose in mg/dL or mmol/L and learn why the estimate may differ from meter and CGM readings.

Sheenam Midha 9 min read
Total cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride values entering the Friedewald calculated LDL equation

Friedewald formula: how calculated LDL cholesterol works

The Friedewald LDL formula in mg/dL and mmol/L, how VLDL is estimated from triglycerides, how the Sampson equation and direct LDL differ, and when the estimate stops being reliable.

Sheenam Midha 11 min read
A colorful plate of vegetables, beans, whole grains, berries, nuts, and herbs

Foods and cancer risk: 10 evidence-based choices for your plate

No food cures cancer, but your overall eating pattern can influence long-term risk. Here are 10 practical, evidence-based choices and the claims to ignore.

Sheenam Midha 8 min read