What you can measure

Live longer and healthier. Which blood markers can you get tested?

A lot of what predicts your health and ageing sits in your blood. Often a single draw lets you test several markers at once. Below is a complete overview of values you can have tested (preventively), grouped by system.

Start here

Don't want to test everything at once? These five together give the most insight into your long-term health:

ApoB: the sharpest single predictor of your cardiovascular risk
HbA1c: early warning for insulin resistance and diabetes
hsCRP: measures the silent, low-grade inflammation behind ageing
Vitamin D (25-OH): deficiency is common here and easy to correct
Lp(a): inherited risk you only need to measure once in your life

Take this to your doctor

Most of these values are part of routine blood work and can be done in a single draw. A few (marked “usually on request”) you need to ask for yourself or have done at a private lab. More testing isn't always better: discuss with your doctor what makes sense in your situation. Some values (such as PSA) call for a deliberate, informed choice.

Rather not go through your doctor?

You can also have most of these values measured yourself at a private testing provider, without a referral. You pay for it yourself. They work with the same certified laboratories as your doctor:

Bloedwaardentest.nl: draw points across the Netherlands, results with explanation
Mijnlabtest.nl: build your own panel
PostYourLab.nl: finger-prick at home, self-sampled
Labplusarts.nl: results often within 24 hours, 750+ draw points
Easly.nl: sample at home, with personal doctor's advice
Homed-IQ: at-home tests by post, certified lab

How often? For most values, once every one to two years is enough. Lp(a) only needs measuring once in your life. For a borderline or abnormal result: more often, in consultation with your doctor.

Heart & blood vessels

ApoBusually on request< 0.9 g/L

Counts the harmful cholesterol particles; the best single predictor of cardiovascular disease, more accurate than LDL alone.

LDL cholesterol

The ‘bad’ cholesterol that can build up in your artery walls; a core value for your cardiovascular risk.

HDL cholesterol

The ‘good’ cholesterol that clears excess fat from your vessels; a low HDL points to higher risk.

Total cholesterol

The sum of all cholesterol in your blood; a first, rough impression of your lipid metabolism.

Triglycerides

Fats in your blood that rise with too much sugar and alcohol; high is a sign of cardiometabolic risk.

Lp(a)usually on request

A largely inherited risk factor for cardiovascular disease; one measurement in your life is enough, as the value barely changes.

Blood sugar & metabolism

HbA1c< 43 mmol/mol

Your average blood sugar over roughly three months; an early warning for insulin resistance, long before symptoms appear.

Blood glucose (fasting)

Your blood sugar after an overnight fast; the standard screening for diabetes.

HOMA-IRusually on request

Combines glucose and insulin to detect insulin resistance, often years before blood sugar itself rises.

Uric acid

High uric acid causes gout and is linked to poorer metabolic health.

Inflammation

hsCRPusually on request< 1 mg/L

Measures the low-grade, chronic inflammation in your body, a silent driver of ageing and cardiovascular disease.

Homocysteineusually on request

An amino acid that strains your blood vessels at high levels; elevated often points to a shortage of B vitamins.

Thyroid

TSH

Your thyroid's control hormone; the first test to detect an under- or overactive thyroid.

Free T4usually on request

The actual thyroid hormone in your blood; refines the picture when TSH is off.

Vitamins & minerals

Vitamin D (25-OH)30-50 ng/mL

Important for your bones, muscles and immune system; a deficiency is common in our latitudes, especially in winter.

Vitamin B12

Needed for your nerves and blood formation; a deficiency creeps in and causes fatigue and tingling.

Folate

Works together with B12 and keeps your homocysteine low; important for blood and nerves.

Iron / ferritin

Ferritin shows your iron stores; too low causes fatigue, too high can point to inflammation or overload.

Omega-3 indexusually on request

Measures the share of omega-3 fatty acids in your cells; a higher index is linked to a healthier heart and brain.

Zinc statususually on request

Zinc is needed for your immunity and repair; a deficiency weakens your defences.

Kidney & liver

eGFR + creatinine

Together they show how well your kidneys filter your blood; a baseline for your kidney function.

ALT / AST

Liver enzymes that rise with damage or fatty liver.

GGT

Sensitive to liver and bile-duct problems and to the load from alcohol.

Electrolytes (sodium, potassium)

Regulate your fluid and salt balance; abnormalities point to kidney or fluid problems.

Complete blood count

Haemoglobin (Hb)

The oxygen carrier in your red blood cells; a low value means anaemia and fatigue.

Haematocrit

The proportion of red blood cells in your blood; complements the picture of anaemia or thickening.

White blood cells

Your white blood cells; abnormalities point to an infection or inflammation.

Platelets

Your platelets, needed for clotting; both too many and too few have consequences.

Sex-specific & cancer prevention

PSA (men)< 3 ng/mL (referral threshold)

A protein from the prostate that can signal prostate cancer early.

Contested: no population screening due to overdiagnosis. Make an informed choice together with your doctor.

Beyond blood

Blood is only part of the picture. Bone density, blood pressure, calcium in your coronary arteries and the national screening programmes all belong in a complete preventive picture too.

See what else you can get checked →

This page is informational and does not replace medical advice. Target values are general; your doctor weighs them in the context of your health, age and risk.