Full Blood Check: Best Tests to Run at Least Yearly

Most “annual physical” bloodwork is designed to catch obvious disease, not to spot early drift in cardiometabolic risk, liver load, kidney filtration, nutrient status, or inflammation. A full blood check done at least yearly is different, it is meant to establish a reliable baseline and track trends before you feel symptoms.

Below is a practical, clinician-aligned checklist of the best tests to run at least once per year, plus smart add-ons based on age, goals, and risk. (And yes, you can overdo testing. The goal is the right markers, collected consistently, interpreted in context.)

What “full blood check” should mean (and what it often misses)

In everyday use, “full blood check” usually refers to a basic combo like:

• CBC (complete blood count)
• CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel)
• A standard lipid panel
• Sometimes TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)

That is a solid start, but it often misses the markers that most often change first in preventive and longevity-focused care, including ApoB, Lp(a), hs-CRP, iron storage patterns, and kidney micro-damage (albumin-to-creatinine ratio).

If you want your yearly labs to be genuinely preventive, you want coverage across five systems:

• Blood and immune health (CBC details, anemia patterns, inflammation clues)
• Metabolic health (glucose regulation and insulin resistance)
• Cardiovascular risk (lipids plus particle burden and genetically driven risk)
• Liver and kidney function (early strain, not only late-stage dysfunction)
• Nutrient and hormone status (common hidden drivers of fatigue, low performance, and long-term risk)

The best yearly blood tests (minimum set)

If you only do one round of labs per year, aim for a “core” set that covers the highest-yield risks for most adults.

1) CBC with differential

A CBC is not just “am I anemic?” It is a high-signal snapshot of oxygen-carrying capacity, immune balance, and sometimes inflammation.

Key markers include:

• Hemoglobin and hematocrit (oxygen delivery, anemia or thickened blood)
• MCV and RDW (anemia pattern recognition, nutrient deficiencies, alcohol or liver-related patterns)
• WBC and differential (immune activation, stress, recovery, some medication effects)
• Platelets and MPV (clotting tendencies, inflammatory context)

If you want deeper reading on specific CBC markers, Vitals Vault has dedicated biomarker guides for MCV, RDW, and WBC.

2) CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel)

A CMP is a workhorse panel that can surface early issues with:

• Kidney filtration and hydration status (creatinine, BUN, electrolytes)
• Liver workload (AST, ALT, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase)
• Protein status and inflammation context (albumin, total protein)
• Electrolyte balance (sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2/bicarbonate)

Two liver-related markers that are especially useful for early “silent” strain are AST and GGT. If you have ever had mildly elevated liver enzymes, or you drink alcohol regularly, read Vitals Vault’s guides to AST and GGT.

3) Lipids, but prioritize risk-relevant markers

A standard lipid panel (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides) is common, but it is not always the best predictor of risk by itself.

For most adults, the yearly upgrade that improves decision-making is:

• ApoB (counts the number of atherogenic particles, often a stronger risk signal than LDL-C alone)

Vitals Vault’s ApoB guide explains why it matters and how to interpret it.

Also consider Lp(a) at least once (it is largely genetic and does not need yearly testing for most people). The American Heart Association highlights Lp(a) as an important inherited risk factor, and many guidelines increasingly support one-time measurement in adulthood for risk stratification. See Vitals Vault’s Lp(a) guide.

4) Glucose regulation: fasting glucose + HbA1c (and sometimes fasting insulin)

If you care about longevity, diabetes prevention, energy, and body composition, glucose regulation belongs in every annual check.

• Fasting glucose reflects your current baseline.
• HbA1c reflects your average blood sugar over roughly the past 2 to 3 months.

Many clinicians add fasting insulin (or HOMA-IR) when insulin resistance is suspected, even if glucose is still “normal.” If you are gaining abdominal fat, have high triglycerides, fatty liver risk, or a family history of type 2 diabetes, ask about it.

For clinical background, the American Diabetes Association Standards of Care are the most widely used reference.

5) Inflammation: hs-CRP

Chronic, low-grade inflammation is one of the most actionable signals in preventive medicine because it often responds to sleep, training load, diet quality, visceral fat reduction, and smoking cessation.

• hs-CRP (high sensitivity C-reactive protein) is a simple, inexpensive marker that can meaningfully improve cardiovascular and metabolic risk context.

Vitals Vault’s hs-CRP guide is a solid companion read for interpreting borderline values and common confounders.

6) Iron studies: ferritin + iron + transferrin saturation

Iron is a “Goldilocks” area: too low can impair thyroid function, cognition, and endurance, too high can be associated with inflammation or iron overload patterns.

A yearly iron check is especially useful if you:

• Have fatigue or low exercise tolerance
• Donate blood often
• Are vegetarian or vegan
• Have heavy menstrual bleeding
• See unusual patterns in CBC indices (MCV, RDW)

Start with ferritin and pair it with iron and saturation for context. Vitals Vault has clear explainers for ferritin, serum iron, and % saturation.

7) Vitamin D and B12 (common, correctable drifts)

Vitamin D and B12 are two of the most common “quiet” deficiencies seen in modern lifestyles.

• 25-OH Vitamin D supports bone health, immune function, and muscle performance.
• Vitamin B12 supports red blood cell formation and neurological function, and it is especially important for vegans, vegetarians, and older adults.

Vitals Vault’s biomarker guides: Vitamin D and Vitamin B12.

8) Kidney screening add-on that is worth it for many adults: urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio

A basic CMP can look “fine” while the kidneys are already under stress. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes risk, a family history of kidney disease, or you simply want a stronger preventive screen, consider adding:

• Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR)

Vitals Vault’s urine albumin guide explains why this can matter even when serum creatinine looks normal.

Core yearly “full blood check” summary table

Use this as a quick checklist when ordering labs or reviewing what your clinician included.

Smart add-ons (who should test what beyond the minimum)

Not everyone needs the exact same annual panel. The right approach is to keep a consistent core set, then add targeted markers based on your goals and risks.

For PSA context, see Vitals Vault’s PSA total guide. For hormone-related tracking in men, Vitals Vault also publishes biomarker guides like estradiol and DHEA-S.

How to prep so your yearly labs are actually comparable

A full blood check is most useful when you can trust the trend. The problem is that small pre-test choices (workouts, alcohol, dehydration, timing) can move markers enough to create false alarms.

Use a repeatable routine:

• Test in the morning when possible, and keep timing consistent year to year.
• Fast 8 to 12 hours if you are checking glucose, triglycerides, and many lipid-related markers (your clinician may tailor this).
• Hydrate normally, do not overhydrate right before the draw.
• Avoid hard training for 24 to 48 hours beforehand if you want clean liver enzymes, inflammation markers, and muscle-related signals.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 to 72 hours if you are tracking triglycerides, liver enzymes, and inflammation.
• Document anything that can confound results, including illness, poor sleep, new supplements, and medication changes.

Vitals Vault’s guide on blood sample prep and common mistakes is a helpful checklist to bookmark.

How to interpret a yearly full blood check (without overreacting)

Two principles reduce anxiety and improve decisions:

Look for patterns, not isolated flags

Lab “reference ranges” are not the same as optimal for long-term risk reduction, and a single mildly abnormal result can come from sleep loss, dehydration, a recent infection, or intense exercise.

A better approach:

• Compare against your own prior results.
• Check whether related markers move in the same direction.
• Repeat the test when confounders are controlled.

If you want a quick framework, Vitals Vault’s step-by-step guide to reading blood test results explains how to navigate the report and interpret clusters.

Match retesting cadence to the signal

Yearly is a great default cadence for stable adults, but not every marker should be treated the same.

• Once or rarely: Lp(a) (often once in adulthood), some genetics-driven markers
• Yearly: CBC, CMP, ApoB, A1c, hs-CRP, ferritin, vitamin D/B12 (if previously low)
• Every 8 to 16 weeks (temporarily): after a meaningful intervention (weight loss phase, alcohol reduction, medication start), or to confirm a borderline abnormal result

If you are making a specific change, like reducing alcohol to improve liver markers, you often learn more by retesting in 8 to 12 weeks than by waiting a full year.

Where Vitals Vault fits if you want a more complete yearly check

Many people skip a true full blood check because of the friction: referrals, unclear pricing, and results with little guidance.

Vitals Vault is built around simplifying that process by offering comprehensive panels (often 100+ biomarkers, with options that can reach 160+ biomarkers), clinician-reviewed insights delivered in days, and longevity protocols tailored to your biology. It is also HSA/FSA eligible and available nationwide, with transparent pricing and no referral required.

If you already have past labs, Vitals Vault also supports uploading and tracking prior reports, which is critical because the biggest value of annual testing is the trendline, not the one-time snapshot.

You can explore the platform at Vitals Vault and compare options for a yearly full blood check that goes beyond the basics.

A practical way to build your yearly routine

A simple approach that stays high-value (and avoids random testing) is:

• Choose a consistent month each year for your core panel.
• Add targeted markers based on your personal risks and symptoms.
• Re-test sooner only when you are validating a change, confirming a borderline result, or monitoring a clinician-directed treatment.

If you do that, a yearly full blood check stops being “just labs” and becomes a measurable, decision-ready health system.