Know your BUN. Know your health.
Test your Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.
Normal range: 7 – 20 mg/dL (lower is better)
BUN measures urea nitrogen, a waste product created when your body breaks down protein. Your kidneys filter it out, so BUN is a useful (though imperfect) marker of kidney function. Unlike creatinine, BUN is also influenced by diet, hydration, and liver function, which makes it less specific but still valuable as part of the bigger picture.
A normal BUN is 7 – 20 mg/dL. Lower is better.
Elevated BUN is most commonly caused by dehydration. Even mild dehydration before a blood draw can raise it. Kidney disease, high-protein diets, gastrointestinal bleeding (your body absorbs protein from digested blood), and heart failure are other common causes.
Several medications can raise BUN, including corticosteroids, tetracycline antibiotics, and certain diuretics. Low BUN can indicate liver disease (the liver converts ammonia to urea), malnutrition, overhydration, or pregnancy.
Staying well-hydrated is the simplest way to keep BUN in range. If you eat a very high-protein diet, expect your BUN to run on the higher side without it necessarily meaning kidney trouble. Your doctor will look at BUN alongside creatinine and eGFR to get the full picture.
BUN is most highly correlated with Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate and Vitamin D. Here are the top biomarkers correlated with BUN, based on 500,000 tests done by Empirical Health.
The percentage shows how strongly two biomarkers move together. A higher number means the relationship is stronger. Green = rises and falls together. Orange = one rises as the other falls.
You can test your BUN for $190 as part of Empirical's comprehensive health panel, which includes 100 biomarkers.
You can measure your BUN for at 2,200+ testing locations across the US. Click below and enter your zip code to browse locations near you.
Test your Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.