Preventative Health Blood Tests: What to Measure in Each Decade

Your 30s: establish the baseline

This is the cheapest decade to gather information, because everything measured now becomes the comparison point for the next thirty years.

• Foundation: CBC, comprehensive metabolic panel, lipids, A1C
• Fasting insulin — establish your true metabolic starting point
• Lipoprotein(a) — measure once, for life
• Ferritin and vitamin D, particularly for menstruating women
• TSH with Free T4 and Free T3 if symptomatic or with family history

Your 40s: the transition decade

Hormonal change, declining insulin sensitivity, and accumulating cardiovascular exposure begin to overlap. Add the markers that make each of those visible.

• ApoB, in addition to the standard lipid panel
• hs-CRP for the inflammatory dimension of risk
• Full thyroid panel including antibodies
• Sex hormones with SHBG — cycle-timed for women who are still cycling
• Continued fasting insulin, tracked as a trend

Your 50s: risk becomes concrete

• ApoB tracked against a target chosen for your risk level
• Post-menopausal hormone status and bone-relevant markers, including vitamin D
• Kidney and liver reserve — eGFR, uric acid, GGT
• Homocysteine and B12, relevant to cognition and vascular health
• Consider coronary calcium scoring with your physician alongside blood markers

60 and beyond: protect function

The emphasis shifts from long-range risk toward maintaining muscle, cognition, bone, and independence. Nutrient adequacy and inflammation become more consequential, not less.

• B12, vitamin D, and protein-related nutritional markers
• Thyroid function, which commonly drifts with age
• hs-CRP and ferritin, watching for both inflammation and overload
• Continued ApoB and metabolic monitoring

Frequently asked questions