General health blood test

What does a general health blood test show?

A general health blood test gives you an overview of your current health and your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

This test includes:

Cholesterol (lipid profile) - 7 biomarkers

Cholesterol is an essential fat that your body produces. It helps make vitamin D and hormones. Your body needs cholesterol to stay healthy, but too much can increase your risk of heart disease.

High cholesterol has no symptoms, so regular testing is the only way to keep track of your levels.

The cholesterol home test, also called a lipid profile test, measures the different types of fats in your blood.

The cholesterol home test checks 7 biomarkers:

• LDL
• Non HDL cholesterol
• HDL
• Total cholesterol
• Triglycerides
• Total cholesterol: HDL ratio
• Triglycerides: HDL ratio

Diabetes risk (HbA1c) - 1 biomarker

An HbA1c test measures your average blood sugar (glucose) levels over the past 3 months. This can help you understand your risk of developing type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.

When the amount of sugar in your blood rises, any that your body can't use attaches to red blood cells to form glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).

Red blood cells live for around 3 months, which is why a HbA1c test measures the average blood sugar over the past few months.

The at-home HbA1c test will show you whether you have healthy levels of HbA1c.

Liver function - 7 biomarkers

The liver test looks at the overall health of your liver. The liver plays an important role in hundreds of your body's functions, from detoxifying blood to fighting infections.

Alcohol, weight, diet and some medications can impact liver health.

An at-home liver test checks how well your liver is working.

The liver test includes 7 biomarkers:

• Total protein
• Albumin
• Globulin
• Alanine aminotransferease
• Alkaline phosphatase
• Gamma-glutamyl transferase
• Bilirubin

Vitamin D levels - 1 biomarker

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin which helps your body absorb calcium. It supports bone health and your immune system as well as mood, sleep and energy levels. Low vitamin D can lead to bone problems, low energy and getting ill often.

We get most of the vitamin D we need from the sun and our diet. But during winter, it can be harder to get enough. You may want to consider a daily supplement.

The at-home vitamin D blood test will show you if you have healthy levels of vitamin D.

Thyroid function - 2 biomarkers

The thyroid is a gland at the front of your neck that produces hormones (T3 and T4).

If it becomes underactive, it may not release the right levels of these hormones. This can result in symptoms such as weight gain and fatigue.

The at-home thyroid blood test checks levels of free thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which regulates the release of thyroid hormones.

Description provided by LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.