The Simple Test You Should Get Every Year if You Want To Live to 100
Woman talking to her doctor
When it comes to creating habits that support longevity, you probably know the basics. Eating a nutrient-rich diet? Check. Moving your body regularly? Check. Minimizing alcohol consumption? Check.
These habits all can add years to your life, but there’s another longevity-supporting habit that may slip under the radar because it’s not something ingrained into everyday life: seeing your primary care doctor regularly. Many people think of the doctor as someone to see only when they’re already sick. But if you want to live a long, healthy life, regular checkups are vital. Once you are at your appointment, there’s one test in particular that’s important to ask for.
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The Number One Most Important Blood Test To Get Every Year if You Want To Live to 100
Dr. Robert J. Pearlstein, DO, is a geriatric specialist at Suburban Geriatrics, located in Pennsylvania. As a geriatrician, he says he sees his patients every three months—even those who are in perfect health. He recommends anyone 80 and older see their doctor this often, and even more frequently if they have any health issues. (For people who are between the ages of 65 and 80 and in good health, seeing your doctor once a year is enough.)
Dr. Pearlstein says that the reason it’s important to see a doctor this often is to catch any potentially life-threatening illnesses in its earliest stage. “For example, breast cancer and colon cancer are curable in their early stages but not in their late stages,” he explains. He adds that telling your doctor about any changes whatsoever in your health (including changes in weight, bowel movements, energy levels or sleep) gives important clues to one’s overall health. Dr. Pearlstein also recommends having your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked at these appointments.
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While it’s not necessary to have blood work done at every doctor’s appointment, there’s one blood test that Dr. Pearlstein recommends getting every year: “Starting in your mid-40s, it’s important to get yearly blood work checking your vitamin levels, kidney function [through an estimated glomerular filtration rate blood test], liver function [though an alanine transaminase test] and a prostate-specific antigen test for men,” Dr. Pearlstein says. Your doctor will be able to check for all of this through one simple blood test.
The reason why Dr. Pearlstein says it’s important to get blood work done every year once again comes down to catching any potentially life-threatening illnesses early.
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In addition to asking about any changes in a patient’s physical health and performing blood work when necessary, Dr. Pearlstein says that at every single appointment, he asks his patients about their mental health and social support. “Happy people live longer than depressed people,” he says.
Dr. Pearlstein explains that it’s easy to become isolated in older age since this is typically the time of life when no children are living at home and people are retired from their jobs. He says that older adults who no longer drive are especially at increased risk of isolation. Since isolation is linked to an increased risk for depression, he always asks his patients about their social networks. Is someone making sure there is food in the house? Are they regularly meeting up with people who give them joy and fill their lives with purpose? The importance of social connection shouldn’t be underestimated.
Of course, diet and lifestyle habits are important when it comes to longevity too. Eating nutrient-rich foods and moving your body regularly are both linked to longevity. Scientific research shows that even just 15 minutes of light or moderate exercise a day can lengthen one’s life.
Clearly, many different factors influence longevity; it isn’t just about one habit or factor. The habits you live by every day are important, but so is seeing your doctor for yearly blood work to catch any potentially life-threatening illness early. When combined, you’ll be well on your way to living a long, healthy life.
Next up, find out which hobby is linked to living longer.
Sources
Dr. Robert J. Pearlstein, DO, a geriatric specialist at Suburban Geriatrics, located in Pennsylvania
Mayo Clinic Q and A: Do healthy older adults need regular health care visits? Mayo Clinic.
Breast Cancer. StatPearls.
Colon Cancer. StatPearls.
Know Your Kidney Numbers: Two Simple Tests. National Kidney Foundation.
Common Liver Tests. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Happy people live longer because they are healthy people. BMC Geriatrics.
The association between loneliness and depressive symptoms among adults aged 50 years and older: a 12-year population-based cohort study. The Lancet, Psychiatry.
Nutrition, Food and Diet in Health and Longevity: We Eat What We Are. Nutrients.
Training for Longevity: The Reverse J-Curve for Exercise. Missouri Medicine.
