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See all the Healthcasts at https://www.biobalancehealth.com/healthcast-blog As the founder and Medical Director of BioBalance® Health, an anti-aging longevity practice for 23 years, I have long sought a blood test that serves as a reliable indicator of aging and disease risk. Identifying those at highest risk allows me to better motivate patients to follow my treatment plan and pursue a longer, healthier life. For people who test negative, I would reassure them they are doing well and encourage them to maintain healthy habits. Over time, I assessed common medical tests that many doctors use to steer patients toward certain treatments that do not reduce pain and may shorten life. I examined the actual risk of death and illness through clinical evaluations and credible, though less publicized, research studies. Here is what I found: Elevated blood lipids are not reliably predictive of vascular plaque. In my experience, both high and low cholesterol patients show similar rates of plaque in Cardiac Calcium Scans. Despite this, primary care physicians often prescribe statins, which may be unnecessary for many. Statins were not initially tested on women, who tend to experience more severe side effects such as cognitive impairment, muscle breakdown, and fatigue, likely because these drugs impact mitochondrial function—the cell's energy source. BMI has long been used to assess whether someone is at a healthy or risky weight, but it is often inaccurate. It overlooks individuals with low muscle and high fat, while labeling muscular people as overweight. As a result, BMI is being replaced by body composition measurements. Recently, body composition analysis using InBody has become more common than BMI for evaluating patient health, frailty, and muscle mass. Measurements of visceral fat and body composition are considered indicators of current health status. BMI is a straightforward calculation that only uses height and weight, whereas body composition includes assessments of visceral fat and percent body fat. Only one weight- and height-based test directly relates to health status. High muscle mass indicates health, while excess visceral fat signals risk, and normal body fat percentage reflects current—but not future—health. Since body composition can shift over time, it is a useful measure of present health but does not reliably predict longevity and is just one aspect of overall health. Several blood tests can indicate current health, such as fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, IGF-1, and fasting insulin. For assessing future health risks and existing damage, HS-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) is crucial, as it measures inflammation—a major factor in unhealthy aging and reduced longevity, especially when levels exceed 3.0. An article in Life Extension (July 2025) refers to persistently high CRP as "inflammaging." The Truth About Aging and Inflammation? Temporary spikes in HS-CRP from infections or surgeries usually do not cause lasting issues unless inflammation persists. Chronically high HS-CRP levels (3) are linked to various age-related diseases, such as obesity, arteriosclerosis, autoimmune disorders, poor dental hygiene, and other conditions that reduce health and lifespan. We now can measure "inflammaging" with HS-CRP blood test. This test indicates increased risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, dementia, autoimmune disease, and other degenerative diseases." A review of studies with more than 400,000 participants revealed that people with a High HS-CRP had 75% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to people with a low HS-CRP. These studies found that HS-CRP may be a more reliable predictor of heart attack and stroke, than LDL cholesterol! HS-CRP may predict age-related diseases because chronic inflammation leads to issues such as arterial plaque and Alzheimer's. Although white blood cells fight infection, their persistent activity can damage healthy tissue and accelerate age-related conditions. The changes that you can make to decrease inflammation, Inflammaging, include: Fat loss to ideal weight Low inflammatory mediterranean diet Omega 3 oil supplements or in food Daily exercise Probiotics Quercetin supplement Treat joints that are damaged (inflammation is increased with injured joints) At least 3 cups of coffee per day Less than 4 oz of alcohol a day No sugar in the diet ***Replacing hormones to the levels of a young man or women with non-oral hormones, pellet testosterone for men and both testosterone and estradiol for women. BioBalance® Health assesses new information through medical studies and bases treatments on knowledge of human physiology and the aging processes. No single test can determine if you are aging well, but HS-CRP is a better indicator than cholesterol or BMI. At BioBalance®, we've tested HS-CRP for 20 years and developed treatments to address inflammaging. Citation: Life Extension –July 2025