Profile Testing?

Hey guys I have a question about something I read on T-Nation: I read that Joe DeFranco performs different tests with his athletes: Comprehensive Allergy Profile, Amino Acids Analysis, Adrenocortex Stress Profile, Male Hormone Profile, IGF-1 Assay (Somatomedin C), Essential and Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis.

What are these exactly for (what do they exactly determine)?
What would be a perfect result on these tests?
Where can the average joe get them done for him?
What supplements can help to achieve the perfect results?

Thanks,
Rick

Hi Matrick,

These are largely a series of biochemical assays to assess endocrine function (Adrenocortex, Male hormone, IGF-1, Thyroid), lipid porfile (triglycerides, ldl-c, hdl-c…) and some allergy tests.

Simply put, if you have no symptoms of anything that would warrant you to go to a physician (except lipid profile if you are older or have a family history of heart dz) these test are useless.

A perfect result on these test would simply be to be within the normal range. (for Lipid, high HDL and Low LDL would be better).

Where could you get it, probably any private clinical biochem lab that performs tests for patients (except the allergy thing)

For allergy, it is either the scammy comprhensive allergy tests sold on the Internet or its an appointement with an Allergologist with a series of skin tests. Again, if you have no known allergies or symptoms thereof, it is completely useless.

Supps to achieve perfect results:
Omega-3 will reduce you triglycerides
Alpha Male could increase your T levels marginally.
Others systems aren’t touched much by supps.

Honestly, this is a significant waste of money.

If you are semi-healthy looking, this will all come back normal. Remember the normal ranges cover 95% of disease-free individuals (rarely dz-freee individuals are outside the range).

Personally, I would be very supprised that anyone would order such tests if they had half a clue of their function, unless its a marketing ploy or they are getting some form of kickback.

Anyway, save your money for some fish oils and some protein, it’ll be a better investment.

AlexH

Where did you read this? This doesn’t seem quite like Joe D’s style.

[quote]Affliction wrote:
Where did you read this? This doesn’t seem quite like Joe D’s style.[/quote]

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459403 - thats where i read it.