Order a metabolic health check and measure your metabolism

Metabolic health involves more than just your blood sugar. Insulin resistance, for example, can develop long before your glucose or HbA1c moves outside the reference range. By including fasting insulin alongside glucose and HbA1c, this metabolic blood test may pick up early shifts in your insulin sensitivity.

Lipid markers and liver enzymes add context, as fatty liver and a disrupted lipid pattern are often linked to metabolic changes. Together, these values can give you a broader view of your metabolism.

This check may suit men who:

• want insight into their blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity
• carry some extra weight around the midsection, which can be linked to metabolic changes
• have type 2 diabetes in the family and want early data
• are adjusting their diet or lifestyle and want to track metabolic markers over time

Some men are looking for a so-called metabolic map: an overview of several values that together say something about their metabolism.

This metabolic health check measures nine biomarkers:

• Glucose (fasting) (mmol/l): your blood sugar after an overnight fast.
• HbA1c (mmol/mol): your average blood sugar over the past two to three months.
• Insulin (fasting) (pmol/l): an elevated fasting insulin can be an early sign of insulin resistance, sometimes before your glucose shifts.
• Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (mmol/l): lipid markers that can be influenced by your metabolic status.
• ALT and GGT (u/l): liver enzymes that may be elevated when the liver is under metabolic stress, such as in fatty liver.

You can read more about individual markers on the pages about fasting glucose and LDL cholesterol. If you only want to measure your insulin resistance, the insulin resistance test with HOMA-IR fits better.

The combination of fasting glucose, HbA1c and fasting insulin can give a more nuanced view of your blood sugar regulation than any of these markers alone. A normal glucose with elevated fasting insulin could suggest, for example, that your body is working harder to keep your blood sugar steady.

Elevated triglycerides with a low HDL is a pattern often seen alongside metabolic shifts. Liver enzymes such as ALT and GGT can add another layer. 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 700+ 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 values are determined.

This check can be useful when you want to look at your blood sugar regulation beyond glucose alone, or when you are curious whether insulin resistance may be developing before your glucose changes.

It can also help if you are adjusting your eating pattern, for example with less sugar or carbohydrates, and want to track your metabolic markers. If you instead want a broad chemistry overview with kidney, electrolyte and protein values, look at the complete metabolic panel.

Your results are shown with reference ranges. Glucose and HbA1c are often used to look at your blood sugar regulation, while fasting insulin adds context about how hard your body is working to maintain those levels. Lipid values are best read as a group.

Liver enzymes can be influenced by many factors, including alcohol, medication and exercise. A single measurement provides a data point, not a definitive answer. A doctor can interpret the overall picture for you and help decide whether follow-up steps could be worthwhile.

Your results are available online within a few working days. You log in to your account and view all values alongside their reference ranges, whenever it suits you. If certain markers fall outside the expected range or you notice shifts compared to previous results, discussing them helps.

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