Your Annual Numbers
A simple testing checklist for your next health check-up
If you want the practical version before the underlying science, this is it: the specific tests to ask for, and the targets to aim for. Everything here is explained and cited properly in the sections that follow.
What to Ask For
| Test | Target | Covered in |
|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | Below 120/80 mmHg (optimal); treatment usually starts by 130/80 with risk factors | Section 2 |
| ApoB | Below 80 mg/dL (below 60 mg/dL if already high risk) | Section 3 |
| LDL cholesterol | Below 100 mg/dL (lower for higher-risk individuals) | Section 3 |
| Triglycerides | Below 150 mg/dL | Section 4 |
| Fasting glucose | Below 100 mg/dL | Section 5 |
| HbA1c | Below 5.7% | Section 5 |
| Fasting insulin | Below roughly 10 mIU/L | Section 5 |
| hs-CRP | Below 1.0 mg/L | Section 6 |
| Waist circumference | Men under 94cm / Women under 80cm | Section 7 |
| Lp(a) | Once in a lifetime is enough — it's largely genetic | Section 8 |
Most of This Isn't on a Standard Panel
A routine cholesterol panel typically reports total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides — it does not automatically include ApoB, fasting insulin, hs-CRP, or Lp(a), even though each adds genuinely useful information the standard panel misses. None of these are exotic or expensive tests; they simply need to be requested specifically. Bring this list to your next appointment.
If you only do one thing from this guide
Get your blood pressure checked properly — seated, rested, measured more than once — and ask for ApoB alongside your next routine cholesterol panel. These two additions catch more silent risk than anything else in this list.