Improving your chances for longevity can be boiled down to one principle: monitoring. This practice is found throughout all of the pillars of health—including diet, exercise, sleep, and managing stress. You need to monitor how what you eat affects your system, what kind of exercise your body responds best to, and how many hours of sleep you need to be productive. And always pay attention to your stress levels.
A blood test is a powerful tool that can unveil the inner workings of all your bodily systems. It’s a reliable method of gauging your overall health, going beyond surface-level markers like weight or VO2 max (the maximum oxygen utilization during intense exercise). Health insurance typically provides financial support, but how much is dependent on your level of coverage, the purpose of the test, and whether or not the laboratory is within your network.
A blood test can help you understand your cardiovascular, liver, kidney, metabolic, muscular, and hormonal health, all of which play key roles in living a long, independent life. So, what tests should you consider having done and why?
1. Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Helps identify a range of disorders, such as anemia and infection, by evaluating the quantity and quality of red and white cells and platelets.
2. Lipid Profile
Assesses risk for cardiovascular disease by measuring substances in your blood that carry cholesterol.
3. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
Provides a snapshot of your body’s chemical balance and metabolism, including the health of your kidneys and liver, by testing for proteins, sugars, and waste products.
4. Thyroid Function Tests
Checks how well your thyroid produces and reacts to thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolic rate and energy production.
5. High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein (hs-CRP) Test
Gauges the overall level of inflation in the body. An elevated level can potentially signal health issues related to an increased risk of heart disease.
6. Fasting Insulin and Glucose Tests
Evaluates your body’s management of blood sugar and insulin, which can indicate your risk for diabetes.
7. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
Shows the average blood sugar level over the past 2 to 3 months, helping monitor and diagnose diabetes and prediabetes.
8. Vitamin D Level
Important for bone health and immune function, this test can reveal deficiencies that may contribute to health issues such as osteoporosis.
9. Vitamin B12 Level
Critical for nerve function and the production of DNA and red blood cells; deficiencies can lead to neurological issues and anemia.
10. Folate Level
Essential for proper brain function and mental and emotional health, and producing DNA and red blood cells.
11. Homocysteine Level
High levels are linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes; this test is often used to evaluate cardiovascular health.
12. Sex Hormones
Imbalances of testosterone, estrogen, or progesterone can impact many body systems, including mood, energy levels, and bone health.
13. DHEA-Sulfate Test
This test measures levels of DHEA-S, a precursor to sex hormones, which declines with age and impacts how your body ages.
14. Ferritin
Measuring this protein helps diagnose iron metabolism and storage disorders, including iron-deficiency anemia and overload conditions.
15. Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Balances between these fatty acids are crucial for controlling inflammation and maintaining heart health.
Lessons from Centenarians
No matter your age, these tests are all crucial to understanding where your body stands within the aging process. In the September 2023 study, “Blood Biomarker Profiles and Exceptional Longevity“, published in Gero Science, researchers showed that centenarians might have distinct metabolic profiles that are observably different as early as age 65.
This study involved over 44,000 participants from the Swedish AMORIS cohort. It was a group of 812,073 subjects whose biomarkers were collected via blood and urine samples from 1985 to 1996 at the Central Automation Laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden. Thirty-five years later, the same group was rechecked with the same tests to track their levels as they aged.
Using this data, the Gero Science study suggests that biomarkers of liver and kidney functions might be linked to healthier, longer lives, as found in the population of 1,224 centenarians within the AMORIS cohort. They specifically noted the role of lower levels of glucose and creatinine (tested for in the CMP) in blood tests and lower levels of uric acid in a urine test—another useful test to do annually that helps to monitor your kidney function, assess your risk for cardiovascular disease, and detect gout or kidney stones. Most of this can be affected—whether positively or negatively—through lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise.
Use the Numbers as a Guide
Longevity comes down to monitoring your body’s wear and tear. And yes, aches and pains or a change on the scale can all indicate something, but understanding just how well your body is functioning at a cellular level is crucial.
After you get these blood test results back, sit down with your physician to discuss what numbers are out of line and what you can do to address them. Together, you can create an actionable plan (if necessary) on how to improve your results going forward, such as by eating more or less of certain foods, picking the right exercises, finding a more balanced sleep schedule, or rejigging your work-life balance to manage stress levels. Most health solutions are simple—once you know what you need to work on.
