There are several standard blood tests which most doctors will order during your annual physical.
However, these tests are largely aimed at diagnosing or screening for disease rather than optimal health.
Markers that indicate potential future risk factors are not tested during a routine lab screen.
Instead of screening for disease we need to focus on optimal health.
Prevention is much easier than reversing chronic disease.
For this reason, I recommend that everyone ask their doctor to run the following blood tests:
-Fasting Insulin and Blood Glucose
Normally only glucose is checked, however, insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels precede elevations in glucose. Insulin resistance is also associated with risk or cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia and type 2 diabetes.
-Triglycerides
This is part of the standard lipid panel, but, is often overlooked. This is an excellent predictor of cardiovascular health.
-C-Reactive protein
This is the best marker of systemic inflammation. Nearly all chronic disease is associated with some inflammation. This is a very important marker of the potential of developing chronic disease in the future.
-Lactose Dehydrogenase
This is a marker of pro cancer environment in the body. It is often elevated in cancer patients, but, also predisposes individuals to development of cancer in the future.
-Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays many important roles in the body including hormone production, immune health and mental health. Testing Vitamin D is especially important in the winter for those living far from the equator.
-Vitamin B12
This is an important vitamin for neurological health. Vegetarians and vegans are at the highest risk for B12 deficiency.
I hope you found this helpful. I can post specific ranges for the tests if anyone is interested.
The target ranges vary form one the country to then next, as do standardized units.