What Lab Tests Should a Man Get: Complete Health Checkup

An annual blood test checkup is the most rational investment in your own health. Most serious conditions — insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, hormone deficiency, nutrient depletion — produce no symptoms until they are well established. Lab tests catch them at a reversible stage. This article is a practical list: what to test, why, and how often.

What Blood Tests Should a Man Get: Core Panel

A complete blood count with differential is the baseline for any men's health checkup. It gives information about red cells and haemoglobin, white cell subtypes (immune status, inflammation) and platelets. The result is informative only alongside other markers.

Basic biochemistry:

• Fasting glucose — first marker for pre-diabetes
• Creatinine, urea — kidney function
• ALT, AST — liver function
• Total protein, albumin — nutritional status

Inflammation Markers: Essential for Men's Preventive Checkup

Chronic low-grade inflammation underlies most age-related diseases — atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, neurodegeneration. It produces no symptoms.

The primary marker is high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Values persistently above 3 mg/L substantially increase cardiovascular event risk. Below 1 mg/L is the longevity optimum. CRP also contextualises ferritin: if CRP is elevated, a high ferritin reflects inflammation rather than iron excess — always check both together.

For extended inflammation monitoring: homocysteine (cardiovascular + neuroinflammation risk), fibrinogen, LDH when symptoms are present.

Hormone Panel: Testosterone, Thyroid, Cortisol

After 40, a hormone panel is not optional — it is standard. Hormonal dysfunction affects body composition, energy, libido and metabolism but is clinically silent.

Testosterone. Total testosterone + SHBG — monitoring age-related decline. Normal values by age and signs of deficiency are covered in detail in the testosterone after 40 article.

Thyroid. TSH is the screening marker: hypothyroidism is less common in men than women but often unrecognised. Symptoms — chronic fatigue, weight gain, metabolic slowing — are non-specific. Annual TSH is sufficient for screening.

Cortisol. A marker of chronic stress load. Morning serum value (8–10 am). Persistently elevated cortisol drives testosterone decline, insulin resistance and sleep disruption.

Cardiovascular Risk Markers: Cholesterol and More

The standard lipid panel includes LDL ("bad" cholesterol), HDL ("good"), triglycerides and total cholesterol. LDL is the key atherosclerosis risk marker; triglycerides reflect metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.

Complete cardiovascular risk assessment: lipid panel + hs-CRP + homocysteine. Cholesterol without inflammatory markers is an incomplete picture — inflammation determines whether plaques become unstable.

For high-risk individuals: apolipoprotein B (better atherosclerosis predictor than LDL) and Lp(a) — a genetic risk marker independent of lifestyle.

Vitamins and Micronutrients: What Is Worth Checking

Two nutritional markers have the greatest clinical relevance for men:

Vitamin D. Deficiency (below 50 nmol/L) affects 40–80% of people in temperate climates. It influences immunity, testosterone synthesis, bone density and cancer risk. Deficiency is often asymptomatic. Test once a year — ideally in autumn or winter.

Vitamin B12. Deficiency is most common in those who eat little meat or dairy, take metformin, or are over 60 (impaired absorption). Symptoms — anaemia, neurological changes, memory decline — develop slowly.

Longevity Biomarkers: Ferritin, HbA1c, Homocysteine

Three markers often overlooked in standard checkups that are directly relevant to longevity:

Ferritin. The male optimum is 70–200 µg/L. Chronically elevated (above 300 with normal CRP) warrants checking transferrin saturation. Below 30 means latent iron deficiency even with normal haemoglobin.

HbA1c — glycated haemoglobin. Reflects average glucose over 2–3 months. The pre-diabetic range (5.7–6.4%) is frequently missed in annual blood work — yet at this stage the disorder is fully reversible.

Homocysteine. An independent marker of cardiovascular risk and neurodegeneration. Optimum: below 9–10 µmol/L. Above 15 — elevated cardiac and dementia risk.

How to Prepare: Testing Rules

Most blood tests are drawn in the morning after a 12-hour fast — the standard for glucose, insulin, testosterone and the lipid panel.

• Testosterone: morning only (8–10 am) — the daily peak in men; afternoon values are 20–30% lower
• Cortisol: morning (8–10 am) — high diurnal variability
• Vitamin D, HbA1c, ferritin, CRP: time of day less critical
• Complete blood count: may be drawn after a light low-fat breakfast

Avoid intense exercise and alcohol 2–3 days before testosterone testing. Do not change your diet in the 24 hours before a lipid panel — it should reflect your usual intake.

Men's Health Checkup: Monitoring Plan by Age

Age 30–40 (annual baseline screening): CBC with differential, basic metabolic panel (glucose, ALT, AST, creatinine), hs-CRP, ferritin, vitamin D, HbA1c, lipid panel, TSH, total testosterone + SHBG.

Age 40–50 (extended annual checkup): everything from baseline + homocysteine, morning cortisol, fasting insulin, free testosterone, vitamin B12. Lp(a) once, then every 5 years.

Age 50+ (full monitoring, twice a year): everything from extended + PSA (annual prostate cancer screening), apolipoprotein B. Bone densitometry and resting ECG every 2–3 years.

A full explanation of ageing biomarkers and how they reflect biological age is in the article on biological age from blood tests. For the molecular mechanisms behind each of these markers — the article ageing of the body: causes and mechanisms. A comprehensive look at the factors of longevity is in the article how to live long and healthy. Optimal monitoring intervals and target values — in the guide annual lab tests: longevity checklist. Extended lipid profile with ApoB — extended lipid profile and longevity. Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR — fasting insulin and HOMA-IR.

This article is for informational purposes. Deciding on a checkup panel and interpreting results is the responsibility of a qualified doctor.