A doctor reported that knowing just five vital signs can tell you how well you are aging, and warn you of health problems decades before symptoms appear.
Dr. Florence Comet, founder of the Comet Center for Precision Medicine and Healthy Longevity, and author of the April 28 book "Invulnerable," recommends starting to check for these indicators between the ages of 25 and 30, because symptoms often do not appear until the disease process has been underway for a long time.
This test measures blood sugar levels after an overnight fast. The normal range for adults without diabetes is 70-99 milligrams per deciliter, while levels between 100-125 indicate prediabetes, and 126 or higher indicates diabetes. However, Dr. Comte prefers a narrower range of 70-80, noting that consistently exceeding 80, especially with high insulin levels, is an early warning sign of insulin resistance.
Comet describes this indicator as "the most important and the most overlooked" in medicine because it reveals how hard the pancreas is working to stabilize blood sugar. Doctors rarely order it, but it can alert you to metabolic problems decades before high glucose levels appear.
Comet explains that she prefers to see insulin levels below 2, while conventional doctors consider 2-5 normal. She adds that levels in the high single digits or double digits indicate that metabolic dysfunction has already begun.
This index reflects average blood sugar levels over three months. A normal level is generally considered to be below 5.7%, prediabetes between 5.7% and 6.4%, and diabetes at 6.5% or higher. However, Comet targets a level below 5.0%, warning that a level above 5.6% indicates prediabetes with metabolic dysfunction. They recommend checking this level at least once or twice a year.
It's not enough to just look at LDL "bad" cholesterol, says Comet. The best approach is to calculate your cholesterol risk ratio (CRR), which is your total cholesterol divided by your HDL "good" cholesterol. The ideal ratio is 2 or lower; a ratio above 2 indicates an increased risk of heart disease, while a ratio between 3.5 and 4 indicates an even higher risk.
Testosterone isn't just a male hormone; women need it too because it regulates energy, libido, muscle mass, metabolism, and mood in both sexes. According to Dr. Comette, low testosterone levels can lead to muscle loss, increased abdominal fat, and worsening insulin resistance. A free testosterone test measures the amount of bioactive, readily available testosterone in the blood.
Comet emphasizes the need to view these five indicators as an interconnected set, not as separate numbers, taking into account other factors such as body composition, personal and family medical history, and lifestyle.
She adds that sleep, food, exercise, stress, and the surrounding environment, such as toxins, all play an important role in assessing your overall health and how successful you are in slowing down your aging.
