In This Story
In This Story
Key Takeaways
- A short list of biomarkers — fasting glucose, HbA1c, a lipid panel including ApoB, and hs-CRP — has consistently strong evidence linking them to outcomes.
- ApoB is increasingly considered a more accurate cardiovascular risk marker than standard LDL cholesterol alone.
- Expanded panels often include markers with weak evidence, tested because they're easy to include rather than because acting on them changes much.
The rise of longevity clinics has come with a rise in biomarker panels — blood draws testing dozens of values, often for a considerable fee. Some of that testing is genuinely useful. A lot of it is testing for the sake of having more numbers on a dashboard.
The shorter, better-evidenced list
A small set of biomarkers has consistently strong evidence linking them to health outcomes: fasting glucose and HbA1c (metabolic health), a full lipid panel including ApoB (cardiovascular risk), hs-CRP (inflammation), and grip strength as a simple functional proxy rather than a blood marker at all.
- ApoB is increasingly considered a more accurate cardiovascular risk marker than standard LDL cholesterol alone
- hs-CRP flags chronic low-grade inflammation linked to a range of age-related disease risk
- HbA1c reflects average blood sugar over roughly three months, catching trends a single glucose reading misses
Where panels overreach
Many expanded panels include markers with weak or contested links to outcomes, tested mostly because they're easy to include, not because acting on them changes much. More data points can create a false sense of precision without adding actionable information.
A reasonable approach: ask what would actually change about your routine if a given number came back abnormal. If the honest answer is "nothing," it's a number for a dashboard, not a health decision.
Frequently Asked
Is ApoB testing worth requesting from a doctor?
For most adults with any cardiovascular risk factors, ApoB provides a more complete picture than standard cholesterol alone, and is increasingly considered good practice by preventative cardiologists — though standard lipid panels remain the default in most routine care.
How often should longevity biomarkers be tested?
Annually is a reasonable default for the core set (glucose, HbA1c, lipid panel, hs-CRP) for most healthy adults, with more frequent testing appropriate for anyone actively managing a specific risk factor or working with a physician on a targeted plan.
Are expensive longevity clinic panels worth the cost?
Often not fully. Many panels test dozens of markers for the sake of completeness rather than actionability. A useful filter: ask what would actually change about your routine if a given number came back abnormal — if the answer is nothing, it's not worth paying to track.
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