How Often Should You Get Blood Work Done

How often should you have your blood tested?

You should have your blood levels tested at least once a year as part of your annual check-up. However, there are many reasons why you may benefit from more frequent blood tests - especially as a means of preventative health care. [1]

Blood tests are a glimpse behind the scenes of your body - they reveal what's going on inside your body. They can reveal a wealth of information, from vitamin and mineral levels to inflammatory markers and the function of your vital organs. Therefore, they are an important tool in preventative medicine, allowing us to detect potential health issues before they become serious problems and thus actively strive for longevity.

But why do we only get our blood tested once a year, or maybe not even that? Many people feel that their doctors do not fully explain to them the importance and results of their blood test, which leads to them not engaging with their health information.

As a result, they prefer to turn to private healthcare providers such as CARE for deeper insights and comprehensive explanations of their health data. Why should you get tested regularly?

Are you also asking yourself “How often should you have blood work done?” More frequent blood tests, i.e. more often than once a year, provide you with a detailed snapshot of your health and allow potential problems to be identified early, before they develop into disease.

This proactive strategy can lead to timely interventions and improve your long-term health outcomes.

Here are some examples of where you can particularly benefit from regular blood tests: [2]

Health problems and medication use

Regular blood tests can help people monitor their long-term health issues such as diabetes, heart disease or thyroid problems.

By monitoring HbA1c levels, it becomes easier to adjust lifestyle habits to maintain healthy blood glucose levels.

Blood tests are also important for people with heart problems, as they help determine cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This information is important to assess heart health and determine the effectiveness of lifestyle changes or statin therapy.

In addition, people taking medications such as blood thinners may benefit from regular testing to ensure the safety and effectiveness of their treatment.

Thyroid function tests (determined by blood tests) are also important for people with thyroid disorders and should be carried out regularly. They help to adjust medication to ensure that thyroid hormone levels remain in a healthy range.

Healthy people

Even if you feel well, your body can undergo “invisible” changes that can have far-reaching consequences over time. For example, gradual changes in blood pressure or cholesterol levels can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke without you noticing any symptoms in the early stages. Similarly, many people suffer from a lack of iron or transferrin, which can lead to anemia. An elevated long-term blood sugar HbA1c can indicate the first signs of insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes after a few years.

More frequent blood tests are also useful to detect possible vitamin and mineral deficiencies such as vitamin D or iron, which play an important role in bone health, energy levels and general well-being. Especially if you are taking medication, changing your diet, exercising a lot more or your high stress levels have become chronic.

Blood tests to monitor kidney and liver function can also detect early signs of dysfunction or damage so that changes or treatments can be made in time to protect the health of the organs.

Which blood tests should you have?

Understanding the many blood tests can be daunting, but knowing which tests you should consider can greatly improve your proactive health strategy.

We've put together an overview of the most important blood tests that can give you valuable insights into your health: [3]

The complete blood count

This basic test examines various components of your blood, including red blood cells (which carry oxygen), white blood cells (which fight infection), hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells), hematocrit (the ratio of red blood cells to the liquid components of your blood, the plasma) and platelets (which help with blood clotting).

The complete blood count can indicate diseases such as anemia, infections and even blood cancer. At CARE, we go far beyond the CBC because we believe that it is not enough to indicate your state of health.

Lipid panel

The lipid panel checks the level of fats in your blood, e.g. low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good” cholesterol), triglycerides and total cholesterol. At CARE, we also test lipoprotein A Lp(a) and lipoprotein B to better assess your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Blood glucose tests

Blood glucose tests measure the sugar (glucose) in your blood and are essential for the diagnosis and management of insulin resistance or diabetes. The hemoglobin A1c test (HbA1c), for example, shows the blood glucose level over the last 8 to 10 weeks. This value can be used to determine lifestyle strategies and any additional medication.

Thyroid function tests

Thyroid function tests, such as the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), T3 and T4 tests, show how well your thyroid gland is working. They can help diagnose conditions such as hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

Liver function tests

Liver function tests assess the health of your liver by measuring the levels of enzymes, proteins and bilirubin in your blood. They can indicate problems such as liver infections, NAFL non-alcoholic fatty liver, cirrhosis or liver disease.

Kidney function tests

Kidney function tests measure substances such as creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in the blood to determine how effectively your kidneys are filtering waste from the bloodstream.

Vitamin and mineral levels

Determining the levels of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D, B12, iron or calcium in your blood can help identify deficiencies or excesses that affect energy levels, bone health and general wellbeing.

Inflammation markers

Inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) indicate inflammation in the body, which can indicate diseases such as infections, autoimmune diseases or heart problems.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men. The PSA test checks the level of prostate antigen in the blood of men as a possible sign of prostate cancer.

Hormone tests

Hormone tests play a role in assessing health, metabolism and much more. In women, tests that measure oestrogen, progesterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels can provide information about irregularities, menopausal symptoms or fertility problems. But hormone tests are also important for men to assess their health and metabolism. They help to identify possible causes of irregularities in the hormone balance, which can have an impact on muscle mass, bone density, libido, mood or fertility.

Where can you have your blood tested?

To proactively manage your health and longevity, here is an overview of where you can have your blood tested:

At your GP

This traditional place of healthcare is not for everyone, as treating existing conditions usually takes precedence over proactive measures to prevent disease or optimize health. [4]

Traditional primary care practices reflect a system that focuses on treating disease rather than preventing it in the first place or even optimizing health.

Preventive healthcare providers such as CARE

Specialized healthcare providers such as CARE offer comprehensive health screenings that are designed to detect disease early and provide a detailed picture of overall health. These tests can provide indications of cardiovascular risks, metabolic disorders, hormone imbalances and deficiencies. In addition to blood tests, comprehensive check-ups enable a preventive analysis to identify individual health risks at an early stage and take targeted measures to promote health.

Walk-in laboratories

In most walk-in laboratories, you can have individual biomarkers or bundles such as blood lipids or men's hormones tested. However, the evaluation of your results is then up to you. This is not a problem for individual simple biomarkers such as vitamin D, but walk-in labs are often not suitable for getting an overview of your state of health.

Test kits for at home

As a rule, these are also individual biomarkers or bundles that are tested. You usually receive a good written evaluation, sometimes with recommendations for action. Good providers also offer a consultation with a medical specialist on request.

Pharmacies

Some pharmacies offer tests such as vitamin D, cholesterol or blood sugar. Depending on what they offer, you may then receive advice, especially regarding supplementation in the event of deficiency symptoms.

Do I have to fast before a blood test?

You have to fast for some common blood tests, but not for all of them. Whether you need to fast before a blood test depends on the type of blood test.

Here is a brief overview:

Blood glucose test

This test measures your blood glucose level and requires you to fast, i.e. fast for at least 8 hours, in order to accurately measure your baseline blood glucose level without it being affected by food or fluid intake.

Lipid profile

To accurately measure your cholesterol and triglycerides, a fast of 9 to 12 hours is usually required. This ensures that the foods you have just eaten do not affect the lipid levels in your blood.

Electrolyte panel

Fasting is not usually required for an electrolyte panel. As this test measures the minerals in your blood that control fluid balance and muscle function, such as magnesium, sodium or potassium, food intake does not have a major influence on the values.

And to come back to the initial question of how often you should have your blood tested: it depends on the individual. If you are healthy and your values are in the optimum range, then it is sufficient to have a test once a year. If you have deficiencies, you should follow up in 4 to 6 months to check whether these deficiencies have been corrected. If you have poor blood lipids or sugar levels and are on medication, you will initially need regular checks. If you are making lifestyle changes, such as changing your diet or exercising a lot more, it is also worth having certain key points tested two to three times a year so that you know how your new habits are affecting your health.