What can your blood tell you about your health?

Whether your goal is feeling better in general or focused on something specific, a simple blood test could tell you a lot about your overall physical health – not to mention giving you a sneak peek into how well your body’s working.

From vitamin deficiencies to hormone function, let’s take a closer look at what your blood could tell you about your health.

Check your general health

Regular blood testing is an important way to keep track of your overall physical health.

Doctors can use your blood sample to search for markers of disease, investigate possible reasons for new symptoms, and monitor the current condition of your overall health.

See how well your organs are working

Many blood tests, including our general wellness blood test, check how well your vital organs are working.

The type of organ malfunction that can show up in a blood test includes problems with your thyroid, liver and kidneys.

Evaluate your hormone levels

Doctors can use a blood sample to check your hormone levels and detect possible hormone imbalances.

Hormones like testosterone and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) are visible in specific blood tests.

Measuring these hormone levels can help detect autoimmune conditions like hypothyroidism, or see if treatments for regulating hormones are working successfully.

Discover vitamin deficiencies

Blood tests can show how well your diet is supporting your overall health.

By checking critical nutrients like iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, your test results can indicate whether or not your body is getting what it needs from your food or environment.

For example, if you have low vitamin D levels in your blood, you may need to take a supplement or spend more time outdoors.

Check your supplements are working

If you already know you’re low in a specific nutrient, you may take supplements to boost your intake.

Your blood can indicate whether your supplement regime is working by measuring whether your nutrient levels are within the normal range. 

Uncover underlying conditions

Some health problems have no symptoms whatsoever. Instead, doctors often need to use blood tests to search for markers that may indicate underlying conditions.

For example, suppose your blood test shows your liver or kidney function is abnormal. This may prompt your doctor to ask you a few more questions or order further investigations.

Another symptomless condition is high cholesterol – but blood tests can help identify and manage it. By measuring the different types of fat in your bloodstream, doctors can understand your cholesterol levels and make a good estimate of whether you’re at higher risk of heart disease.

This understanding can help you make lifestyle changes to lower your cholesterol. 

The final word

A blood sample can tell you much about your health and wellbeing when investigated by a doctor.

From detecting specific health conditions to examining your general health, markers in your blood can be useful signals to help you understand more about your body.

Take H&B&Me’s general wellness blood test to uncover detailed insights and use your results to start a conversation with your GP. You never know – you might discover ways to improve your health that you’d never even considered. Good luck!