Blood count
Hemoglobin — optimal range for vegans & vegetarians
Concentration of the oxygen-carrying protein in red cells.
Optimal range
13–17 g/dL
How a value is read
Women
| Deficient | < 12 g/dL |
| Below optimal | 12 – 12.5 g/dL |
| Optimal | 12.5 – 16 g/dL |
| Above optimal | 16 – 17 g/dL |
| Markedly high | > 17 g/dL |
Men
| Deficient | < 13 g/dL |
| Below optimal | 13 – 14 g/dL |
| Optimal | 14 – 17.5 g/dL |
| Above optimal | 17.5 – 18.5 g/dL |
| Markedly high | > 18.5 g/dL |
Bands are given in the marker's canonical unit; values in other units are converted automatically.
Why it matters on a plant-based diet
A late marker: falls only with pronounced iron or B12 deficiency. MCV clarifies the anemia type.
A single marker decides nothing
Deficiencies mask one another: high folate hides low B12, inflammation inflates ferritin, low zinc mimics iron deficiency. VEGALYSIS reads the whole picture and explains the links.
Analyse my labsUnits
- g/dL
- g/L× 0.1 → g/dL
VEGALYSIS accepts any of these units and converts the value to the canonical one.
Names seen on lab reports
hemoglobin · haemoglobin · hgb · hb · гемоглобин
Sources
Related markers
Educational material; not a substitute for a clinician's advice.