Pattern notes (educational)

1. Fasting glucose and insulin – two angles on glucose handling. Fasting glucose and fasting insulin are often examined together because they describe different aspects of glucose handling. Glucose reflects how much sugar is circulating at the time of the test, while insulin reflects how strongly the body is signalling to move that glucose into cells.
   How research uses this combination: Many metabolic studies use this combination to explore how the body responds to glucose at rest, sometimes alongside derived indices. In FYM it is used purely to illustrate that these markers represent different but related parts of glucose physiology.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
2. Fasting glucose and HbA1c – snapshot vs longer-term exposure. Fasting glucose provides a snapshot of blood sugar at the time of the test, whereas HbA1c reflects average glycaemic exposure over a longer period. Seeing both together highlights the difference between short-term and longer-term views of glucose exposure.
   How research uses this combination: This pairing appears frequently in research that compares short-term measurements with multi-month averages, helping to understand how single-time-point values relate to overall glycaemic patterns in populations.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
3. Fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c – complementary views of glycaemic biology. When fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1c are all present, they offer three different views of glycaemic biology: a point-in-time glucose level, a signalling hormone that responds to glucose, and a longer-term indicator of glucose exposure.
   How research uses this combination: Researchers sometimes use this trio to study how short-term and longer-term markers of glycaemia and insulin signalling appear together across lifestyle or intervention studies. In FYM this is presented only as an educational illustration of how these markers relate conceptually.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
4. Triglycerides and HDL – a frequently discussed lipid pairing. Triglycerides and HDL are often discussed together because they sit at the intersection of lipid transport and metabolic physiology. Higher triglycerides and lower HDL, or vice versa, represent different patterns of lipid handling in the bloodstream.
   How research uses this combination: Many population studies use the relationship between triglycerides and HDL as one of several simple lenses on metabolic status. FYM presents this combination only to explain that these two markers are frequently evaluated side by side in research.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
5. Total cholesterol, LDL and HDL – classic lipid triad. Total cholesterol, LDL and HDL form a classic lipid triad. Together they separate overall cholesterol exposure into atherogenic fractions and fractions often discussed in reverse transport, without making any claim about risk in an individual panel.
   How research uses this combination: This triad is standard in lipid and cardiovascular research, where it is often combined with other markers, imaging and outcomes. In FYM it is used only to explain that these three markers are traditionally reviewed together.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
6. CRP and ferritin – acute-phase and iron storage context. CRP and ferritin can both change when the immune system is active. CRP is a classic acute-phase marker, while ferritin, best known for reflecting iron storage, can also behave as an acute-phase protein in some circumstances.
   How research uses this combination: Researchers sometimes evaluate CRP and ferritin together to explore how iron storage and inflammatory signalling may move in parallel or diverge across populations. FYM exposes this as an educational pattern only, with no interpretation of any individual combination.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
7. CRP and lipids – immune signalling and lipid transport. CRP is sometimes examined alongside lipid markers such as triglycerides, LDL, HDL or ApoB because inflammation and lipid transport can intersect in physiology. Seeing these markers together illustrates how immune-related signalling and lipid handling may be studied in combination.
   How research uses this combination: This combination appears in research that explores how markers of inflammatory activity and markers of lipid transport co-occur under different lifestyle or intervention scenarios. FYM presents this only as a description of how these markers are grouped in studies.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
8. CRP and homocysteine – immune signalling and methylation-linked amino acid. CRP and homocysteine are both discussed in the context of systemic physiology. CRP reflects one aspect of inflammatory signalling, while homocysteine is a methylation-linked amino acid often studied in vascular and metabolic research.
   How research uses this combination: Some studies include both markers when exploring how inflammatory and methylation-related pathways may appear together in groups of people. In FYM this pattern is used only to highlight the conceptual link between these research areas.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
9. Creatinine and urea – different nitrogenous wastes. Creatinine and urea (BUN) are both nitrogenous waste markers but arise from different processes: creatinine from muscle metabolism and urea from protein nitrogen handling. They are often presented together in kidney-related panels.
   How research uses this combination: This pairing appears in studies evaluating how muscle mass, protein intake and kidney filtration interact across groups. FYM surfaces it to show that multiple nitrogen-related markers can provide a broader picture of waste handling, without interpreting any individual value.
   This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.
10. Vitamin D and CRP – nutrient and inflammatory signalling. Vitamin D and CRP appear together in some research studying how nutrient status and inflammatory signalling may relate. Vitamin D is examined as a nutrient hormone, while CRP reflects aspects of systemic inflammatory activity.
    How research uses this combination: This pairing is used in observational research exploring associations between vitamin D status and markers of inflammation. FYM surfaces it only to highlight that nutrient and immune markers are sometimes considered together in the literature.
    This note is educational only. It does not interpret, grade, or diagnose any individual result and is not a substitute for clinical review.

Pattern notes are experimental, educational summaries based on marker combinations only. They do not use your values, do not measure risk, do not capture every relevant pattern, and are not a substitute for clinical review of your laboratory results.