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The longevity blood panel
Fourteen markers worth asking your doctor for, what each one tells you, and a sheet to track them over years — because a trend beats a snapshot.
The markers that best predict how long you stay healthy are cheap and sit on most laboratory menus. Four of them — ApoB, lipoprotein(a), fasting insulin and hs-CRP — are simply not on the default panel, so you have to ask. This sheet is the list to bring to the appointment.
It deliberately gives no target numbers. 'Normal' on a lab report often means 'not yet diseased' rather than 'optimal', and the right target for you depends on your overall risk, which is a conversation for a clinician. What it does give is the reason each marker is on the list, how often it is worth repeating, and columns to write your results in — so that next year you are comparing against yourself.
The panel
Marked cadences are typical for a healthy adult. A clinician managing a condition will set their own.
| Marker | What it tells you | How often |
|---|---|---|
| ApoB[1][2] | Counts the cholesterol-carrying particles that drive plaque. A better gauge of risk than LDL-C when the two disagree. | Yearly |
| LDL cholesterol[1] | The standard 'bad cholesterol'. Causally linked to cardiovascular disease — lower for longer is better. | Yearly |
| HDL cholesterol | Context for the lipid picture. A low value flags metabolic trouble more than a high one protects. | Yearly |
| Triglycerides (fasting) | Fat in the blood. Elevated values track with insulin resistance and with what you eat. | Yearly |
| Lipoprotein(a)[3] | A genetically set particle that raises cardiovascular risk independently of LDL. Largely fixed for life, so one test is usually enough. | Once |
| HbA1c[4] | Average blood sugar over roughly three months. Predicts cardiovascular risk even below the diabetes threshold. | Yearly |
| Fasting glucose[5] | Blood sugar after an overnight fast. Risk rises with the number, not only past a cut-off. | Yearly |
| Fasting insulin | Often climbs years before glucose does — an early signal of insulin resistance that a glucose test alone can miss. | Yearly |
| hs-CRP[6] | Low-grade inflammation. Predicts cardiovascular events independently of cholesterol. | Yearly |
| Vitamin D (25-OH) | Depends on sun exposure, diet and season. | Yearly |
| Ferritin | Iron stores. Low explains fatigue and poor recovery; high can also signal inflammation. | Yearly |
| TSH | Thyroid function — energy, weight and temperature regulation. | If symptoms or a previous result suggest it |
| ALT / AST / GGT | Liver enzymes. Sensitive to alcohol, medication and fatty liver. | Yearly |
| Creatinine / eGFR | Kidney filtration — a quiet marker that matters more with age and with supplement use. | Yearly |
Before the draw
Consistency is what makes year-on-year comparison meaningful.
Fast for 10–12 hours beforehand; water is fine. Glucose and insulin need it — ask your lab whether they want lipids fasted; many no longer do.
Same time of day each year, ideally morning — several markers move with the clock.
Same conditions: no hard training in the 24 hours before, no alcohol in the 48 hours before, and not while ill.
Bring this sheet and ask specifically for ApoB, fasting insulin, hs-CRP and Lp(a). They are rarely on the default panel.
Reading the results
A number on a page changes nothing. The value is in turning it into a baseline, a target and a trend.
Your first result is a baseline, not a verdict.
Set targets with a clinician. Guideline thresholds depend on your overall risk, and 'in range' is not the same as 'optimal'.[7]
A trend beats a snapshot. Retest at the cadence above and after any real change — diet, training, medication.
Read numbers next to how you live. Sleep, training load, a recent illness and a big meal the night before all move markers.
How to use it
- 1
Print the sheet and take it to your next appointment. Ask for the four markers that are not on the default panel by name.
- 2
Write the results and the date in the columns. Keep the same sheet for next year — the comparison is the point.
- 3
Discuss targets with your clinician, not with a search engine. Write the agreed targets in the margin.
- 4
In Lamplit, the free lab-test tracker stores each result with its date, and photographing the report fills the values in for you (five photo reads a month on the free plan) — so the trend chart builds itself over years.
Common questions
Will my doctor order these?
Usually, if you ask specifically. ApoB, fasting insulin, hs-CRP and Lp(a) are standard tests — they are just not on the default panel in most health systems. Some may not be covered by insurance or a public system for a healthy adult; a private lab typically charges a modest fee for them.
Why doesn't the sheet give target values?
Because the right target depends on your overall risk. European guidelines set different LDL goals for a low-risk 30-year-old and a high-risk 60-year-old, and the same logic applies across the panel. A single 'optimal' column would be wrong for most readers. Set targets with a clinician and write them in the margin.
How often should I test?
For a healthy adult, yearly is a sensible default for most of the panel, and once is enough for Lp(a), which is largely genetic. Retest sooner after a deliberate change — a new diet, a training block, a medication — to see whether it moved anything.
Sources
Where an item rests on a specific source, the number in brackets points to it. Every source is linked.
- 1.Ference, B.A. et al. (2017). Low-density lipoproteins cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Panel. European Heart Journal, 38(32), 2459–2472. Read the paper ↗
- 2.Sniderman, A.D. et al. (2019). Apolipoprotein B particles and cardiovascular disease: a narrative review. JAMA Cardiology, 4(12), 1287–1295. Read the paper ↗
- 3.Kronenberg, F. et al. (2022). Lipoprotein(a) in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and aortic stenosis: a European Atherosclerosis Society consensus statement. European Heart Journal, 43(39), 3925–3946. Read the paper ↗
- 4.Selvin, E. et al. (2010). Glycated hemoglobin, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk in nondiabetic adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(9), 800–811. Read the paper ↗
- 5.The Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (2010). Diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose concentration, and risk of vascular disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of 102 prospective studies. The Lancet, 375(9733), 2215–2222. Read the paper ↗
- 6.Ridker, P.M. et al. (2002). Comparison of C-reactive protein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the prediction of first cardiovascular events. New England Journal of Medicine, 347(20), 1557–1565. Read the paper ↗
- 7.Mach, F. et al. (2020). 2019 ESC/EAS Guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias: lipid modification to reduce cardiovascular risk. European Heart Journal, 41(1), 111–188. Read the paper ↗
Last reviewed: August 24, 2026
This sheet is educational and is not medical advice, a diagnostic tool or a treatment plan. Blood results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician in the context of your history. Do not start, stop or change any medication or supplement on the basis of this document.
