What does your result mean?

This is your BUN/Creatinine (BUN/Cr) ratio target/range.

If you are:

1. In range: A ratio around ~10–20:1 is commonly considered typical. Keep steady daily hydration, a balanced protein intake, and your usual training and routine lab schedule.
2. Below range: A ratio below ~10:1 can reflect relatively higher creatinine (e.g., recent hard training, higher muscle mass, certain medications/supplements) or lower BUN (e.g., low protein intake). Practical steps: recheck when well rested and well hydrated, pause heavy training 24–48 hours before testing, review supplements/medications that can raise creatinine (e.g., creatine, some antibiotics/acid reducers), and ensure adequate protein intake appropriate for you.
3. Above range: A ratio above ~20:1 often points to lower kidney perfusion from under-hydration or relatively higher urea from high protein intake or increased protein breakdown. Practical steps: increase fluids across the day, add fluids around workouts, avoid excessive high-protein loads right before testing, and review medications that can raise BUN (e.g., corticosteroids) with your care team if relevant.

Note: Targets are guides, not medical advice. Interpret alongside how you feel and any known conditions; adjust if you notice dehydration signs (e.g., dark urine, dizziness) or unusual fatigue.

How is this calculated?

Evidence baseline:

Uses the standard laboratory definition BUN/Cr ratio = BUN (mg/dL) ÷ serum creatinine (mg/dL). Typical reference range is ~10–20:1, used to help differentiate prerenal states from intrinsic kidney causes in context.

Sized to you:

The ratio is unitless and calculated directly from your measured BUN and creatinine. While absolute values vary with age, sex, muscle mass, and diet, the ratio partially normalizes these differences; no additional body-size scaling is applied.

Activity adjustment:

Hard or prolonged exercise can transiently raise creatinine (muscle byproduct) and increase urea production; dehydration concentrates both but often increases the ratio. We interpret your result with these training effects in mind.

Environment & day-to-day:

Hydration status, recent protein intake, illness, bleeding, and medications can shift the ratio. High-protein meals or catabolic stress tend to raise BUN; drugs that inhibit creatinine secretion can lower the ratio by increasing creatinine; hot weather or GI fluid losses can raise the ratio via dehydration.

Why a range?

Biology and testing vary day to day. Hydration, diet, exercise, medications, and lab methods create natural fluctuation, so a range better reflects real-life variability than a single “perfect” value.

Backed by leading scientific literature:

Based on established scientific principles.

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