Blood all over the kitchen, multiple stab wounds and a lot of swearing – no, not a crime scene but husband and I trying to take an at-home health check recently. Here at The Age-Well Project we’re always interested in monitoring our wellbeing, and I’d been keen to try a DIY test for a while. So when I spotted a 50% offer for a testing kit called Thriva, I decided to invest.
We filled out questionnaires online, and two neatly-packed boxes arrived a day or so later. They contained miniature test tubes, spring-loaded lancets and a lot of instructions. The first one was not to do the test until we’d fasted for eight hours, easy to do overnight, of course. We dipped our ring fingers in warm water to get the blood flowing, set up the dinky little test tubes (only a few drops of blood needed to fill that, we thought) and pressed a spring-loaded lancet to our fingers.
The information video had explained that when we released the spring, the lancet would pierce our fingers, but it wouldn’t hurt. IT DID! Having stabbed ourselves, we then (please look away if you’re squeamish) had to pump the blood into the test tubes. The tubes managed to be both so tiny that it was impossible to accurately drip each drop of precious blood into the tube, and so enormous that filling it seemed to take (to quote Hancock’s Half Hour) an armful. In the end, we both had to use all three of the lancets provided to harvest enough blood. So that was three stabbed fingers each and a lot of pumping of blood (and quite a bit of swearing by husband).
For someone as obsessed with their own health as I am, the results were fascinating. They come with a brief explanation from a doctor about what they mean, which is helpful. I had plenty of ‘normals’:
- B12 – important for the formation of red blood cells, heart and brain health
- CRP – a measure of inflammation and we know that ‘inflamm-ageing’ is key to much of the frailty of old age
- HbA1c (Diabetes) – this is a test of how much glucose is attached to haemoglobin (a protein found in red blood cells) which can indicate pre- or full-blown diabetes
- Free thyroxine (FT4) – a marker for thyroid function
Some ‘optimals’, which made me feel very proud:
- Ferritin – an indicator of iron levels
- Triglyceride/HDL cholesterol levels – linked to LDL particle size and heart health
- Liver function
- Vitamin D – I took the test in early Autumn so my levels will have been boosted by summer sun, plus I take a supplement
Annoyingly, my iron levels couldn’t be tested because my blood cells burst (must have been all that pumping) and I didn’t get a result for thyroid-stimulating hormone because there wasn’t enough blood for the lab to process. I couldn’t believe that – I felt I’d given gallons!
To my surprise, my LDL cholesterol levels were a little elevated. I need to investigate this further because I eat very little saturated fat, don’t smoke, hardly drink these days, exercise regularly and I’m not overweight. There’s a link between raised cholesterol in midlife and increased risk of dementia, so it’s something I really need to deal with. I’ll report back. Even more concerningly, my omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is out of whack. I’d expected it to be in the normal range as I consume plenty of omegas-3s (oily fish, walnuts, chia seeds) and little by way of seed oils and fast foods, the main sources of omega-6 in our diets.
A recent study by the American Heart Association reports that, in rebalancing our omega-3 to omega-6 ratios the emphasis should be on consuming more omega-3 and worrying less about eliminating omega-6 fats completely. I’ve upped my omega-3 intake – I realised I’d slipped back on the sardines that form the mainstay of my WFH lunches – and started taking a krill oil supplement. Annabel and I aren’t mad about taking lots of supplements as part of our Age-Well Project, but I want to redress the balance quickly and omega-3 is critical to brain health. I’ve chosen to take krill oil rather than a regular omega 3 supplement because it’s high in the phospholipids which cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver essential fatty acids direct to the brain. As an ApoE4 carrier, my blood-brain barrier is likely to be compromised and to make it harder for these phospholipids to get to where they need to be.
And is it working? Thriva sent me a reminder that I should take another test, but I just can’t face the trauma again! Perhaps when the world feels like a slightly cheerier place I’ll be able to steel myself for more stabbing…
…..Do let us know if you’ve ever taken a home health test, and how it went, in the comments below.
AN AGE-WELL WEBINAR FOR POSITIVE PAUSE
I’m repeating my webinar Ageing Well: How to Live Longer Healthier and Happier in Midlife and Menopause for Positive Pause on Wednesday November 11th at 7pm. It’s packed with powerful age-well strategies that fit into your every-day life and I’ll be answering your questions too. I’ll even throw in some recipes! The event will be recorded and will be available online if you can’t make it for the live Zoom event. Ticket details here:
See you there!
Susan
Susan, Like you my LDL is borderline high and I cannot understand why. I am very fit, mainly eat fish, dont eat processed foods, dont eat much lDL containing food and try to get 8 hours sleep.
It’s strange isn’t it? Another reader was told her raised cholesterol was due to age. That’s not enough of an answer for me! I’m definitely going to investigate further
Sounds ghastly. Are you sure these tests are accurate? Wouldn’t it be better to get them done through your doctor, even if you have to pay.
I gave up on krill oil for the benefit of the whales.
You’re right, probably would be better to go via a doctor. But these home health tests are becoming increasingly popular (and are heavily promoted) and I’m always keen to test things for our readers! The krill oil I take is sustainably sourced.
I have been taking the Thriva test for around two years now. I find it very easy to do and have never had issues with getting the blood for testing. I realise from your description of the results I maybe need more knowledge in order to really use the results properly and balance my results with certain foods.
I find it usually a positive and encouraging experience the graphs of regular testing (now every six months) give me a guide to my changing health.
As doctors are so difficult to see at the moment I feel empowered to be able to check my own results and that my health is ok without bothering the health service.
Thanks so much Gill, I’m glad you’ve had a positive experience and, most importantly, feel empowered by the experience . I think that – however we do it – taking responsibility for our own health, and believing that we can change the way we age, is critical as we get older.
My cholesterol levels have always been low, and the good kind always being higher than the bad.
However, the levels have risen over the years, and when I questioned my GP over this, because I do eat well and I I do lots of excercise, her answer was that it is something that comes with age.
By the way, thanks for the reminder of the importance of sardines, I shall have some on toast this evening!!
I’m definitely going to dig into the cholesterols results more – is it simply age? I wonder. And yes to sardines! We love ’em!
What Krill oil supplement do you take?
Hi Karen
I take a supplement by Youth and Earth. I believe it to be sustainably sourced and pure.
Find your website very interesting but just a thought that if you are going to promote/suggest Krill oil supplements it would be very good if you could also encourage people to ensure that these come from a sustainable source that does not further endanger the wildlife of the Antarctic.
Thanks
Kate
Hi Kate
I’m not promoting krill oil, just explaining the path I’ve taken. The krill oil I take is sustainable, I believe. But I totally take your point we have to be vigilant about these things and not allow pursuing our own health to have a negative impact elsewhere. Thank you for raising the point.
Susan, I am a very fit man, healthy diet, who nevertheless had an MI at the age of 54. The surgeon showed me my angiography- bulbous, clear arteries. But I had an almost total block on my left anterior descending aka ‘widowmaker’. I took a week to call an ambulance – thought it was incredibly painful indigestion, thinking it couldn’t possibly be a heart attack. My cholesterol was a tiny bit raised, 4.2. And good to bad cholesterol also a tiny bit out: 2.2. I was told that I had one faulty cell that caused the block, almost certainly genetic (heart attacks in male line), and that for some people ‘normal levels aren’t quite good enough. As a standard part of recovery they put me on a statin for life. With no other changes to my healthy lifestyle within 3 months total cholesterol dropped to 2, and ratio to 0.95, ie half of normal. Surgeon said I would never have another heart attack, stuck me on a fast treadmill and reassured me I could exercise as hard as I liked again. I hate taking any medication, but actually this one is reassuring and I have no noticeable side effects. I asked if I should have been on statins before and was told that for every 435 people prescribed them it only benefits one of them, and I wouldn’t have qualified to be one of the 435. Just sharing this, however, as I am sure you will know, statins do improve cholesterol scores.
Oh Andrew, thank goodness you called that ambulance! Good to know that your statins have had such a dramatic effect – and here’s to your continued good health
Susan