What You’ll Learn:
- Essential biomarkers men should test to gauge their risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Biomarkers that indicate elevated levels of inflammation and stress.
- What to look at to determine liver health.
- What to test to figure out if chronic inflammation and stress are a problem.
- Why men should test more hormones beyond testosterone.
- Which biomarkers influence a man’s body composition the most.
Men today don’t want to just live longer. They want to live stronger. Balancing longevity and vitality means aging in a healthy way that supports a high quality of life year after year.
And the best news is, it’s possible for men to get healthier as they age.
In the past the approach to improving longevity and vitality was somewhat generic: eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, get good sleep and minimize stress. All sound advice that any man can benefit from, but we now have ways to take a more targeted approach that goes further and provides even greater benefits.
If a man wants to know how to improve longevity and vitality, blood testing to measure biomarkers will provide the answer.
Heart Health Biomarkers All Men Need to Know
There’s a good reason why men put heart health at the top of their longevity and vitality list. The risk for cardiovascular disease increases substantially for men as they age, starting at just 35 years old. By 45, the risk goes up even more. Not surprisingly, men develop cardiovascular disease a decade earlier than women.
The increased risk largely comes from poor blood flow as the heart valves and arteries stiffen, plaque builds and the walls of the heart thicken. It’s the result of natural wear and tear over time as well as lifestyle choices that can cause additional damage.
In addition to eating a heart healthy diet, exercising, limiting alcohol and not smoking, men can test a set of biomarkers to get a better idea of their risk. The top biomarkers to test are:
- ApoB
- Lipoprotein(a)
- LDL particle markers
- HDL
- Total Cholesterol
All of these markers give you an idea of your cholesterol levels and potential for plaque buildup. Out of the markers above, ApoB may be the most important in terms of gauging heart health risk. It’s actually more specific than LDL metrics in determining the likelihood of plaque buildup in the arteries. Learn more about why that is in our article that’s all about how ApoB from the liver affects heart health.
Inflammation and Stress Biomarkers For Men
Two things that can contribute to cardiovascular disease and a whole host of other health issues for men are inflammation and stress. Both can be beneficial in small doses, but when they are chronic and widespread it can be seriously detrimental for a man’s longevity and vitality in a variety of ways.
The primary stress and inflammation markers men should test include:
- hs-CRP
- Cortisol
- GGT
- Ferritin
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
The biomarker hs-CRP is the gold standard for giving you an idea of whether chronic inflammation is a problem. Cortisol is the go-to measurement for chronic stress.
Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is a longevity biomarker that doesn’t get enough attention. It’s associated with both oxidative stress and liver stress. High levels of ferritin and ESR also indicate oxidative stress and inflammation.
Male Metabolic Function Biomarkers
Metabolic function isn’t just about how well a man is burning calories and keeping weight off with age. Insulin resistance is something that every man should be wary of since it disrupts a lot of functions from fat storage to hormone regulation. Over time insulin resistance will increase a man’s likelihood of developing chronic health problems that are related to aging and can reduce lifespan.
Key metabolic function biomarkers are:
- Hemoglobin A1c
- Fasting Insulin
- Fasting Glucose
- Ferritin
- Triglycerides
- HDL
If you’re looking for a metric that’s an overall metabolic health indicator, a full cholesterol profile is it. Fasting insulin is also crucial since high levels are a predictor of metabolic dysfunction, and it can become elevated before glucose markers are abnormal.
Liver Function Markers Men Should Test
The liver takes a beating in life because it is responsible for processing toxins among other vital functions. But the liver has a superpower - it can regenerate. This organ can actually repair itself and reverse damage so long as it’s caught early and isn’t too severe.
That’s why every man should test key liver function biomarkers. If you know your liver isn’t functioning it’s best, that’s an indicator that there could be damage and lifestyle changes are needed to help the liver to heal.
To figure out if your liver is struggling you should test:
- ALT
- AST
- ALT/AST Ratio
- GGT
These related metrics paint a clear picture of how well your liver is working and if you need to intervene to prevent more damage from building up.
Male Hormone Production Biomarkers
If the concern is low energy, fatigue, muscle retention and libido hormone biomarkers are what a man should check. This is by far the type of biomarker testing men are most interested in, but knowing hormone levels goes well beyond muscle growth and vigor.
Men should test the following hormones:
- Total testosterone
- Free testosterone
- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
- Estradiol
- LH/FSH
- DHEA-S
As you can see, the hormone panel for men is more extensive than many people think, and the results indicate a lot more than just how to improve body composition. These biomarkers can indicate if cardiovascular or metabolic problems exist, which has serious health consequences.
Some people are surprised there are actually two testosterone markers. Total testosterone is like it sounds. It’s all of the testosterone in the body. Free testosterone on the other hand is actually biologically active, which is a much smaller portion compared to total testosterone. A man can have normal levels of total testosterone but low levels of free testosterone, which causes low-T symptoms.
And if you want to know how much testosterone is biologically available for the body to use, SHBG will tell you. Anywhere from 40-60% of testosterone is bound to SHBG proteins and gets locked up. Because of this, SHBG affects the relationship between total and free testosterone. High levels of SHBG indicate normal to high total testosterone but low free testosterone. Low levels of SHBG are associated with low total testosterone levels but normal free testosterone.
DHEA-S is connected to healthy aging in general, but it decreases with age. If this biomarker is low, men will have less lean mass, resilience and recovery.
Biometrics Connected to a Man’s Body Composition
Men are concerned about body composition in terms of muscle retention and keeping their weight in check, but it’s what can’t be seen that could have a greater impact on longevity and vitality.
When there are concerns about body composition a man should measure:
- Visceral Fat
- Estradiol
- Cortisol
- Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1)
- Hemoglobin A1c
Visceral fat is body composition beneath the surface that impacts many aspects of health. It can also indicate that things are off with your hormonal and/or metabolic health.
Many men are surprised to find that their estradiol measurement is just as important as testosterone. In addition to having an impact on mood, libido and energy level, estradiol affects body composition in men.
If your estradiol is off it can negatively impact muscle retention and fat distribution. It’s particularly problematic if aromatase is converting too much testosterone into estradiol because it will cause an increase in fat storage and water retention. But if estradiol is too low you’re more likely to gain visceral fat and abdominal fat. And contrary to popular belief, low levels of estradiol inhibit strength, recovery and muscle growth.
Give yourself or the special man in your life a test that will help him better understand how to optimize his health. Choose Health at-home biomarker testing kits provide targeted information that help men zero in on the lifestyle changes that will have the biggest impact.
Our Male Wellness Test is a great option with key markers that cover the essentials including inflammation, cardiovascular, hormone and metabolic health. There are also targeted tests that provide in-depth specifics for each as well as combination tests.
Shop the Choose Health store to find all of the at-home blood tests that will make a man feel even better by next year no matter how old they are.
