The 10 Essential Biomarkers to Track Your Baseline Health

The 10 Essential Biomarkers to Track Your Baseline Health

Intro

Most health problems don’t start with a dramatic symptom. They start quietly, your blood sugar creeps up, your cholesterol balance shifts, your liver gets a bit stressed, your kidneys filter a bit less efficiently, your iron status drifts, or your immune markers change. You can feel “fine” right up until you don’t.

That’s why so many GPs love baseline blood tests. Not because they’re exciting, but because they’re useful. A baseline gives you a clear starting point you can compare against in 6–12 months (or sooner if you’re making changes). It’s also a way to catch issues early, when they’re often easier to address.

This article is a practical guide to 10 core biomarkers that cover the big-ticket areas doctors are usually scanning for in routine screening:

  • Heart & circulation (lipids/cholesterol)
  • Metabolic health (blood sugar)
  • Liver health
  • Kidney health
  • Blood + immune health

And importantly: every biomarker below is available to test through Bloody Good, with links to the relevant biomarker pages and test products so you can go from “I should do this” to “done”.

Before you start

A baseline is a snapshot—not a diagnosis. One result slightly outside the reference range doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. Reference ranges are population-based, and your GP (or clinician) interprets results using your symptoms, history, medications, and trends over time.

Baseline testing is most powerful when you:

  • Repeat tests consistently (same lab method, similar time of day, similar prep)
  • Look for direction (improving, stable, or drifting)
  • Act on the “boring” signals before they become urgent problems

If you have symptoms, known medical conditions, are pregnant, or you’re on prescription medications that affect blood sugar/lipids/liver/kidneys, use this as a guide—but work with your GP for interpretation and follow-up.

How to get clean, comparable results

These small details can make a big difference to how meaningful your baseline is:

  • Fast when required. Many lipid and glucose tests are most consistent after an 8–12 hour fast (water is fine). Your order instructions will tell you if fasting is needed.
  • Avoid heavy training the day before. Hard exercise can temporarily shift some biomarkers.
  • Don’t test when you’re acutely unwell (fever, infection). It can skew immune and inflammatory markers.
  • Be consistent with timing. If you’re tracking over time, try to test at a similar time of day each time.
  • Tell your clinician what you’re taking. Supplements and medications can affect results.

When you’re ready, you can order online and attend a pathology collection centre near you. (You can use this page to find a location: Collection Centres.)

Quick links: the 10 biomarkers

1) Total Cholesterol

What it is: Total cholesterol is a summary number that includes different cholesterol “types” (including LDL and HDL).

Why it matters: High total cholesterol can be an early sign that your cardiovascular risk profile is drifting in the wrong direction—especially when paired with high LDL or triglycerides, or low HDL. On its own, total cholesterol doesn’t tell the whole story, but it’s a useful headline metric that prompts a deeper look.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is this person’s overall cholesterol burden elevated, and do we need to look at the full lipid picture?” For prevention, doctors care less about one isolated number and more about the overall lipid pattern and your risk factors (family history, smoking, blood pressure, metabolic health, etc.).

Test it with Bloody Good:

2) LDL Cholesterol

What it is: LDL cholesterol is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol. It’s one of the key markers clinicians use when assessing risk related to plaque build-up in arteries.

Why it matters: LDL is one of the most actionable cardiovascular biomarkers because it responds to evidence-based interventions—nutrition changes, weight management (if needed), increased activity, and medication where appropriate. You don’t need symptoms to have elevated LDL, and many people don’t find out until later in life unless they test.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is LDL high enough that it changes this person’s risk category?” Your GP will interpret LDL alongside family history and other risk factors. For some people (especially with strong family history or existing risk), even a “borderline” LDL can be significant.

Test it with Bloody Good:

3) HDL Cholesterol

What it is: HDL cholesterol is commonly called “good” cholesterol. It’s part of the standard lipid panel and helps complete the cardiovascular risk picture.

Why it matters: HDL is not something to “chase” with quick fixes, but it’s valuable context. Low HDL can show up alongside insulin resistance, higher triglycerides, smoking, and lower activity levels. In other words, it can point to broader metabolic or lifestyle patterns worth paying attention to.

What your doctor is thinking: “Does HDL support a low-risk profile, or does it reinforce a pattern suggesting metabolic risk?” HDL is often interpreted together with triglycerides and LDL, rather than in isolation.

Test it with Bloody Good:

4) Triglycerides

What it is: Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood. They’re included in a standard lipid panel and are strongly influenced by diet, alcohol intake, weight changes, and metabolic health.

Why it matters: Elevated triglycerides often sit at the intersection of cardiovascular risk and metabolic health. They can rise with insulin resistance and poor blood sugar control long before someone meets the criteria for type 2 diabetes. They’re also sensitive to lifestyle changes—so they’re useful for tracking whether your interventions are working.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is there a metabolic pattern here?” High triglycerides plus low HDL is a common pattern clinicians take seriously, even if the person feels well.

Test it with Bloody Good:

5) Fasting Glucose

What it is: Fasting glucose is your blood sugar level after an 8–12 hour fast. It’s a simple, widely-used marker of how your body is managing blood sugar in a resting state.

Why it matters: Blood sugar can drift upward gradually for years. By the time symptoms show up, the underlying issue may already be established. Fasting glucose helps identify early changes, including patterns consistent with pre-diabetes. If you’re making changes (nutrition, activity, body composition, sleep), fasting glucose is one of the fastest markers to respond.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is this person’s day-to-day glucose regulation stable?” And if it’s higher than expected, clinicians will often confirm with repeat testing and look at HbA1c for a longer-term view.

Test it with Bloody Good:

6) HbA1c (IFCC)

What it is: HbA1c reflects your average blood sugar exposure over roughly the past 2–3 months. It’s one of the key markers used to diagnose and monitor diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Why it matters: Fasting glucose is a useful snapshot, but it can vary day to day. HbA1c gives a longer-term view. If you’re someone whose fasting glucose is occasionally borderline (or you want a more stable baseline), HbA1c is one of the most informative “big picture” metabolic markers.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is this an early metabolic warning sign—or is blood sugar control consistently healthy?” HbA1c is also useful for tracking whether lifestyle changes are translating into meaningful long-term improvement.

Test it with Bloody Good:

7) ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase)

What it is: ALT is an enzyme found mainly in the liver. When liver cells are irritated or damaged, ALT can rise.

Why it matters: Liver health is easy to ignore because early liver stress often has no clear symptoms. ALT is one of the most common “early signals” that something might be worth checking—especially in the context of alcohol intake, certain medications, viral illness history, or metabolic factors like insulin resistance and fatty liver risk.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is there liver stress here, and do we need a broader liver panel or follow-up?” ALT is rarely interpreted alone; it’s often the starting point for a fuller liver assessment.

Test it with Bloody Good:

8) eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate)

What it is: eGFR is an estimated measure of kidney filtration. It’s calculated using factors like creatinine plus personal details (such as age and sex).

Why it matters: Kidney function can decline quietly over time. Early kidney issues don’t always cause noticeable symptoms, and a baseline helps you track whether your kidney filtration is stable year to year. It’s especially relevant if you have risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes risk, a family history of kidney disease, or you regularly use medications/supplements that can affect kidney function.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is kidney filtration appropriate for this person’s age and context, and is it stable?” If eGFR is lower than expected, clinicians typically consider hydration status, repeat testing, medications, and other kidney markers before drawing conclusions.

Test it with Bloody Good:

9) Haemoglobin

What it is: Haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. It’s a core marker within a Full Blood Count (FBC).

Why it matters: Low haemoglobin can be consistent with anaemia (which has multiple causes). High haemoglobin can also be relevant depending on context. The key point: haemoglobin changes can affect energy, exercise tolerance, concentration, and overall wellbeing—and it’s not always obvious from symptoms alone, especially early on.

What your doctor is thinking: “Is oxygen-carrying capacity normal, and are there signs that we should check iron, B12, folate, inflammation, or bleeding risk?” A baseline haemoglobin result is a useful reference if fatigue ever becomes an issue later.

Test it with Bloody Good:

10) White Blood Cell (WBC) Count

What it is: WBC count measures the overall level of white blood cells in your blood. It’s another core marker included in a Full Blood Count (FBC).

Why it matters: Your immune system is dynamic. WBC can shift with infection, inflammation, stress, medications, and more. A baseline is useful because it gives you “your normal” to compare against later—especially if you’re investigating frequent infections, lingering symptoms, or unexplained changes in how you feel.

What your doctor is thinking: “Does this fit the clinical picture?” A single WBC result is interpreted carefully, often alongside the WBC differential (the breakdown of different white cell types). If something is off, repeat testing and clinical context matter a lot.

Test it with Bloody Good:

So… which Bloody Good tests cover these 10 biomarkers?

If you want to keep it simple, you can cover the full list with a small set of tests. Here’s a straightforward “baseline stack” that maps cleanly to the 10 biomarkers above:

If you’d rather do a comprehensive baseline in one go (and track far more than these 10), you can also look at:

  • The Bloody Good Test (a broad baseline package that covers a large set of core biomarkers in one test)

Optional add-ons 

If you want to go beyond the essentials, these are common “next step” markers depending on your goals and history:

What to do after you get your results

This is where baseline testing becomes genuinely useful. A good process looks like this:

  1. Save your results somewhere you can find them. Baseline testing only works if you can compare later.
  2. Don’t panic over a single flag. A mild out-of-range result can happen for many reasons. Repeat testing and context matter.
  3. Work with your GP on interpretation. Especially for anything clearly abnormal, persistent, or paired with symptoms.
  4. Pick one or two meaningful changes. If your results suggest a metabolic or cardiovascular drift, focus on the highest-leverage habits first (nutrition basics, movement, sleep, alcohol moderation).
  5. Retest on purpose. If you’re making changes, retest in a timeframe that makes sense (often 8–12 weeks for lipids, and ~3 months for HbA1c) unless your clinician suggests sooner.

Explore more biomarkers

If you want to go deeper (or you’re building a more personalised panel), the Bloody Good biomarker directory is here:

Browse the Bloody Good Biomarker Directory

General information only. This article is not medical advice and is not a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. If you have concerning symptoms or urgent health issues, seek medical attention promptly.