What does the Comprehensive Metabolic Panel test measure?

Why is Comprehensive Metabolic Panel measured?

The CMP provides simultaneous first-pass screening across hepatic, renal, metabolic, and nutritional domains within a single specimen. In functional health panels, the CMP anchors the biochemical safety baseline — identifying hepatic enzyme elevation from fatty liver disease or medication effect, renal impairment affecting drug dosing and metabolic clearance, glucose dysregulation preceding frank diabetes, and hypoalbuminaemia indicating chronic inflammatory or nutritional compromise. Sex-specific reference ranges for creatinine and ALT are critical for female patients, as standard laboratory upper limits derived from male-predominant populations overestimate normal female values.

Reference ranges

Standard reference

Glucose: 70–99 mg/dL; BUN: 7–20 mg/dL; Creatinine (F): 0.5–1.1 mg/dL; eGFR: ≥60 mL/min/1.73m²; ALT: 7–35 U/L; AST: 10–35 U/L; ALP: 44–147 U/L; Total Bilirubin: 0.2–1.2 mg/dL; Albumin: 3.5–5.0 g/dL; Calcium: 8.5–10.2 mg/dL # REVIEWER FLAG: Confirm Access Medical Laboratories sex-specific and age-stratified reference ranges for all CMP components — in particular ALT and creatinine, which have established sex-specific thresholds.

Functional medicine optimal

Fasting glucose: 70–85 mg/dL; ALT: <25 U/L (female-specific functional optimal); Albumin: 4.0–5.0 g/dL; eGFR: >90 mL/min/1.73m². # REVIEWER FLAG: Female-specific ALT optimal threshold of <25 U/L is based on Prati et al. (NEJM 2002) and is cited in functional medicine contexts — confirm appropriateness for this platform.

Units

Glucose: mg/dL, BUN: mg/dL, Creatinine: mg/dL, eGFR: mL/min/1.73m², ALT: U/L, AST: U/L, ALP: U/L, Total Bilirubin: mg/dL, Total Protein: g/dL, Albumin: g/dL, Calcium: mg/dL

Reference ranges vary by laboratory and assay platform. Interpret in context of the issuing laboratory's stated range.