As a man in his 30s, it’s easy to put off good wellness practises like exercise and nutrition. You probably put off visiting the doctor until there’s actually a problem with your wellbeing, such as the occasional cold or injury, or, when it’s a sexual health problem, you may even keep schtum altogether! However, optimal wellness is not about waiting for disease to occur and then scrambling for a combative regimen; you need to invest time and energy into your health much as you do in for your retirement. While prevention looks like many things, one important factor is to collect some laboratory information on your potential health risks. Not only do cholesterol panels serve this purpose, but other tests are now available to assess your risk factors and help design a treatment plan.
1. 25-OH Vitamin D (25 hydroxy-vitamin D): There’s no denying the importance of vitamin D; optimal levels can improve your bone density, enhance your cognitive health and reduce your risk of cancer. Therefore, if your vitamin D levels are low, that’s something you’ll want to know about! There are several tests that can determine whether or not you need to do something about your vitamin D levels, but the 25-OH vitamin D level is considered the most accurate. If you find your levels are low, you can get the vitamin D you need from sunlight on your skin, supplements or fortified foods.
2. C-Reactive Protein (CRP): Inflammation is a marker for heart disease, and this test measures your body’s level of inflammation. The result you’re after is anything less than 1mg/L. However, if you do find that your inflammation levels are elevated, you can fight back with fish oils, CoQ10, magnesium and vitamin D.
3. Homocysteine: This is a product of protein metabolism and if your levels get too high, a whole host of wellness issues may be in store. Excess levels of homocysteine can lead to blood vessel damage, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and depression. If the test reveals your levels are higher than the optimal nine units, you can reset the balance with a higher intake of vitamins B-12, B-6 and folic acid.
4. Total and Free Testosterone: While you don’t need this test on a yearly basis, it’s good to get a baseline reading of your testosterone levels when you’re in your 30s, as this important hormone will decline as you age. Testosterone is often overlooked for its benefits to your heart, brain, bones, muscles and blood vessels, but you should definitely discuss goal levels for these tests with your doctor. Units for the test can very from lab to lab but generally, you should be aiming for around 15-25pg/ml for free testosterone, and 550-800ng/ml for total testosterone.
5. DHEA-Sulfate: This test looks at your levels of the DHEA hormone, which shares many of the health benefits of testosterone. However, to your heart, brain, bones, muscles and blood vessels aside, DHEA is very important for overweight or diabetic men. Again, if you’re healthy and in your 30s, getting this test done now will give you a baseline for future comparison. The goal usually starts at more than 200 mcg/dl.
6. Fasting Insulin Levels: Before your blood sugar rises to the classic diabetic markers, your insulin levels will rise. This demonstrates early signs of your body’s inability to handle the sugar it’s ingesting, so it’s a good thing to know about. The goal ranges may be from 0 -14, but you should try to keep your levels around 7 units or less. If your levels are too high, you have an indicator that you should be reducing the amount of refined sugar in your diet.
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