5 Top Lab Tests Everyone Should Take

When it comes to your health, knowing your numbers is essential—and no, we're not just talking about calories or the number on a scale.

Getting annual bloodwork is a key part of staying well, especially as we age. Lab tests are excellent tools for preventive care—helping to identify any nutritional deficiencies, infections, conditions or diseases early, so you can be proactive about lifestyle changes and treatment.

Here are our top recommendations for lab tests every health-conscious person should take.

1. Comprehensive testing panels for men and women

If there's one test you should take every year, make it a comprehensive panel based on your sex. Life Extension's Female Panel and Male Panel tests evaluate insulin levels, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, magnesium, important health biomarkers such as homocysteine and c-reactive protein levels, which may reflect your inflammatory response and overall heart health and much more.

As Life Extension Laboratory Manager Dylan Blaiwes explained, "These blood tests are the best starting points for seeing a complete picture of how your body's working."
What exactly do male and female panel tests assess? Here's an overview.

• Cardiovascular health and inflammation

  : These panels check important heart health markers ApoB, homocysteine, magnesium status, and c-reactive protein, a marker of chronic inflammation.

• Glucose management

  : Assess how well you're managing sugar with glucose, insulin and hemoglobin A1c.

• Complete blood count (CBC)

  : This blood test "counts" the number of cells that circulate in your blood (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets). The ratio of these blood cells provides information regarding your immune system, the possibility of an infection, any blood disorder, nutritional deficiencies—and even your body's ability to clot or stop any bleeding.

• Ferritin

  : Go beyond CBC to check in on your iron with this evaluation of your levels of ferritin, a protein produced mainly in the liver to store iron. You'll get a more accurate portrait of your iron status than by looking at serum alone. "This is a new addition to our Male and Female panel tests," Blaiwes pointed out.

• Metabolic panel with lipids

  : According to Blaiwes, "This test is the cornerstone of any complete lab work because it shines a light on your body's ability to metabolize sugars and fats, electrolyte status, important minerals for bone health, and liver and kidney function, as well as an array of markers that can help assess cardiovascular health or any health-concerning risks."

• Hormones

  : The test includes a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) blood test to assess thyroid function and checks your levels of the well-known stress hormone cortisol, as well as DHEA-s, which is produced by your adrenal glands. It assesses levels of estradiol, free and total testosterone, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for men and progesterone for women. Why is this part of the panel so important? Hormone balance is vital for a healthy immune response, wake/sleep patterns, sexual function, energy, mood, muscle mass, bone density and metabolism.

• Levels of "D" sunshine vitamin

  : A star player in whole-body health, vitamin D supports everything from immune health and bone density to heart health, respiratory health and even your mood.

2. A thyroid test

Your thyroid is a small gland at the base of the front of your neck that produces hormones essential for a healthy metabolism, or how your body breaks down food to make energy. Since thyroid hormones regulate your heartbeat, body temperature, breathing and more, maintaining a healthy thyroid is key to a long, fulfilling life.

That's why regularly testing your thyroid is key. A comprehensive thyroid panel gives you a "more in-depth thyroid screening, particularly important for weight management concerns," explained Blaiwes.

The panel contains four tests and evaluates overall thyroid function:

• Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
• Total thyroxine (T4)
• Free thyroxine (T4)
• Free tri-iodothyronine (T3)

If you're concerned because you don't see results from the thyroid medication you're taking, "getting a comprehensive thyroid test that includes T3 and T4 is an important piece of the puzzle," noted Life Extension's Education Specialist, Dr. Crystal M. Gossard. "It provides a comprehensive insight of how well the body is converting the medication into active hormones."

3. Get the lowdown on your lipids

Lipids, including cholesterol, are essential to your cells' healthy structure and their efficient energy production. However, elevated levels of cholesterol can increase heart disease risk. Your primary care doctor likely will check your cholesterol every year, "but if you only test for LDL, HDL, or triglycerides, you're only getting part of the story," Blaiwes pointed out.

The NMR LipoProfile® is a special lipid profile that not only provides a standard cholesterol screening, but also measures the number of large, protective LDL particles, and small, dense high-risk particles critical in evaluating coronary heart disease risk.

The panel contains the following tests.

• LDL particle number (LDL-P)
• Small LDL particle number (small LDL-P)
• HDL particle number (HDL-P)
• LDL particle size and LP-IR
• Standard lipid panel (including LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides and total cholesterol)
• LP-IR (risk assessment for insulin resistance)

"Knowing your cholesterol levels will help you assess any risk of developing cardiovascular health concerns," Dr. Gossard explained.

4. Check your Omega-3 Index

Often referred to as "good fats," omega-3 fatty acids are essential for cardiovascular and brain health. These good fats are important components of a healthy, well-balanced diet, "which is associated with joint health, mood, and even a lower risk of heart disease," explained Dr. Gossard. That's why she recommends that everyone take an omega-3 index test, an at-home finger-stick test that goes beyond just your omega-3 levels.

"It helps assess dietary fats by measuring levels of trans fats, your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, arachidonic acid to EPA ratio (an important marker of inflammatory health) and provides a full fatty acid profile," Blaiwes added.

Life Extension's omega-3 index test measures the following:

• Omega-3 index
• Trans fat index
• Omega-6: Omega-3 ratio
• AA: EPA ratio
• Complete fatty acid profile including:
  • Omega-3s
  • Omega-6s
  • Monounsaturated fats
  • Saturated fats
  • Trans fats

You can eat fish once a week and take fish oil daily, but as Dr. Gossard pointed out, "how the body absorbs and uses these fatty acids is unique to every person." Monitoring your levels of healthy fats helps you modify your diet accordingly.

5. Microbiome testing to assess gut health

Your microbiome includes trillions of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, bacteriophage and protozoa) that live on and inside your body. What's more, your body relies on them to perform many biological functions that keep you healthy.

The best way to get a thorough screening of your gut's microbiome is with a stool test. Yes, we know (ew), but it's unequivocally valuable in how much it will reveal about your health.

"Unfortunately, most people don't associate digestive issues with food allergies, systemic illnesses, or even autoimmune diseases," said Dr. Gossard. But while it's not a fun test, "it does provide a plethora of information about your overall gut health and how it relates to your well-being," she added.

So, the good news? You get to do it in the privacy of your own home. The not-so-good news? It's a three-day collection stool test. "A three-day collection is necessary for the most clinically relevant analysis of parasites," says Blaiwes.

Here's a quick overview of this comprehensive stool test.

• Three-day parasitology: Provides a focused analysis regarding the presence of any parasite adults, larva, eggs or spores.
• Microbiome abundance and diversity: Measures the type of microorganisms in your gut and the "good vs. bad" ratio.
• Microbiology: Can identify at least 170 species of yeast, 80 species of candida and over 1400 species of bacteria.
• Problematic microorganisms: Identifies 14 of the most common microorganisms that affect your health, including H. pylori, a bacterium that is the common cause of gastritis, gastric ulcers and other gastrointestinal health concerns.
• Overall (stool) chemistry: Evaluates how well your body digests and absorbs nutrients. It also measures intestinal health markers that can affect how your body manages toxins and your immune and inflammatory health.

Why do lab testing?

Ever felt like you just aren't at your best, and you don't know why? Maybe you don't understand why you can't lose those extra pounds, no matter what diet you try. Lab testing could provide the answers. Life Extension lab tests don't require you to get a prescription, so you don't have to wait to get an appointment with your health care provider or jump through hoops to get the test approved. Lab tests are also a good way to follow up on any health concerns in a timely manner, so you can get a real-time picture of your wellness state.

How does lab testing work?

Many lab tests are offered as easy at-home collection kits, including breath tests, cheek swabs, saliva tests, fecal tests, finger sticks and several urine tests. When a blood draw is needed, your test should provide a requisition to take to a local lab to have your blood drawn.

Once you get your results, you can review them free of charge with Life Extension's expert Wellness Specialists, or discuss the test results with your doctor. 

Early detection saves lives. Lab tests empower you to live your best life by highlighting biomarkers and other factors that may unknowingly infringe on your overall health.

References

• El-Sayed A, et al. "Microbiota's role in health and diseases." Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. May 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8155182/
• Gebrayel P, et al. "Microbiota medicine: towards clinical revolution." J Transl Med. March 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8900094/
• Grant WB, et al. "Vitamin D: Evidence-Based Health Benefits and Recommendations for Population Guidelines." Nutrients. January 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11767646/
• Medoro A, et al. "Omega-3 Index as a Sport Biomarker: Implications for Cardiovascular Health, Injury Prevention, and Athletic Performance." J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. May 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38804457/
• Pingitore A, et al. "Metabolic Syndrome, Thyroid Dysfunction, and Cardiovascular Risk: The Triptych of Evil." Int J Mol Sci. October 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11477096/
• Qiao YN, et al. "Low-density lipoprotein particles in atherosclerosis." Front Physiol. August 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9468243/
• Shahidi F, et al. "Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Health Benefits." Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. March 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29350557/
• Walczak K, et al. "Obesity and Thyroid Axis." Int J Environ Res Public Health. September 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34574358/
• Xega V, et al. "Beyond reproduction: unraveling the impact of sex hormones on cardiometabolic health." Med Rev (2021). May 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11317208/
• Zmijewski MA. "Vitamin D and Human Health." Int J Mol Sci. January 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6337085/