Five markers worth tracking from 30 onwards
Most of what shapes health in later life is quiet for decades. The point of testing from your thirties is not to find a problem today; it is to have a trend to look at in your forties and fifties. These five markers are a good place to start, and all of them sit on the Skyline profiles.
HbA1c
Your average blood sugar over the last two to three months, and the test used to pick up pre-diabetes long before symptoms. It moves with body weight, diet, sleep and training, which makes it one of the most responsive numbers on the list.
ApoB
A count of the cholesterol-carrying particles that can enter artery walls. Many specialists prefer it to LDL cholesterol because it counts every harmful particle, and it responds to the same things: saturated fat, weight and, where needed, medication.
hs-CRP
Low-grade inflammation, measured precisely. Persistently raised hs-CRP is linked with cardiovascular risk and poor recovery. It spikes with any infection or hard race, so a single high reading means little; a high reading that stays is worth a conversation.
Ferritin
Iron stores. Low iron is common in active people, especially women, and costs energy and performance well before anaemia. Very high ferritin with high transferrin saturation can point the other way, towards iron overload, which is far better found early.
Vitamin D
Bone, muscle and immune support, and in the UK a marker that falls every winter. Knowing your autumn and late-winter numbers takes the guesswork out of supplementing.
How to track them
- Test at the same time of year and the same point in your training, rested and hydrated.
- Keep every report. Skyline stores them in your account so you can see the trend.
- Take anything flagged, or anything moving the wrong way, to your GP. They decide what needs doing.
This article is educational. It explains what a marker is and what can move it; it does not interpret your results or replace advice from your GP.
