Order a complete metabolic panel with 18 markers

Some metabolic shifts are not immediately noticeable from symptoms. This complete metabolic panel measures your electrolytes, your kidney values, your liver enzymes, your glucose and HbA1c and your protein levels, so you get a broad metabolic overview in one go.

Together, these markers can help reveal patterns you would not notice from symptoms alone. That is not a diagnosis, but a structured set of data you can discuss with a doctor.

This test may suit men who:

• want a broad metabolic overview beyond a standard lipid panel
• are monitoring their kidney or liver function over time
• are curious about their blood sugar regulation, especially with metabolic conditions in the family
• want a structured set of metabolic data to discuss with a doctor

If you are looking for a general blood test that covers several systems at once, this panel fits that well.

This complete metabolic panel measures sixteen biomarkers, across five groups:

• Electrolytes: sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and bicarbonate (mmol/l), which play a role in your fluid balance, nerve function and muscle contraction.
• Kidney markers: creatinine (umol/l), eGFR (ml/min) and urea (mmol/l), which give insight into how your kidneys filter waste.
• Liver enzymes: ALT, AST and ALP (u/l) and total bilirubin (umol/l), which can be linked to liver stress.
• Glucose metabolism: fasting glucose (mmol/l) and HbA1c (mmol/mol), which together give an immediate and a longer view of your blood sugar.
• Protein: albumin and total protein (g/l), related to your nutritional status and liver function.

You can read more about your blood sugar on the page about fasting glucose. If you want to look at your kidney or liver values separately, the kidney function test and liver function test are specifically aimed at those.

The interplay between these markers can be informative. Altered electrolytes alongside kidney markers may, for example, point to a change in your kidney function. Elevated liver enzymes combined with altered protein levels could point towards liver-related factors.

Fasting glucose and HbA1c together give both an immediate and a longer-term view of your blood sugar regulation, which can be more informative than either value alone. Reviewing these markers together with a doctor can give you a broader view.

For this test, blood is drawn at a certified sample point. There are 650+ locations across the Netherlands, which you choose yourself after ordering. You do not need to see your GP first: it is a blood test without a GP, where you pick a time that suits you.

The draw is done by trained staff and usually takes 10 to 15 minutes. After that, your blood goes to the lab, where your sixteen values are determined.

This panel can be useful when you want a broad metabolic overview, when monitoring known kidney or liver values, or when symptoms such as fatigue, changes in urination or unexplained nausea prompt a closer look at your underlying metabolic function.

Note: this is a metabolic panel and not a complete blood count. It does not measure blood cells such as hemoglobin or white blood cells. If you instead want to look at your blood sugar, insulin and lipids together, the metabolic health check fits that better.

Each marker is shown with its reference range. Metabolic panels often contain values that interact with each other, so individual results are most meaningful when you view them together.

A single measurement provides a data point, not a definitive answer. A doctor can help determine whether any patterns or combinations of values warrant further evaluation.

Your results are usually in your personal dashboard within 2 working days of the blood draw, with the measured value alongside the reference range for each marker. Given the interconnected nature of metabolic markers, it helps to review your results together with a doctor.

Every blood test result includes a professional assessment from a BIG-registered doctor. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.