Northwestern Mutual's Blood Chemistry Profile is a group of tests performed on a single sample of blood. Like other biochemical profiles, each test measures the value of a different substance in the blood. These values provide information on the function of different organ systems (kidney, liver, etc.) or the risk for certain diseases (diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, etc.). Biochemical profiles have been in use for over 30 years. They have become important tools to screen for unsuspected disease. However, a normal biochemical screen in and of itself is not a guarantee of good health. A physician uses it in conjunction with personal medical history, a complete physical examination and other tests to assess the overall state of a person's health. Similarly, any abnormal value on a biochemical profile must be interpreted in the context of personal medical history, physical examination and other lab studies. Your personal physician is the best person to perform an assessment of your overall health.

Biochemical profiles are sometimes represented by abbreviations such as "SMA", "SMAC" or "Chem" followed by a number (example: Chem-12). The number indicates the number of tests which is included in the profile. Northwestern Mutual's Blood Chemistry Profile is made up of 17 different tests. A biochemical profile frequently has multiple tests which assess the function of the same organ system or screen for the same disease. Using multiple tests for the same purpose increases the ability of the profile to detect unsuspected disease.

Northwestern Mutual's Blood Chemistry Profile consists of 17 tests separated into five different groups on a functional basis. These groups and their functions are listed below: