Khaberni - A doctor reported that knowing just five vital indicators 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 book "Immune" released on April 28, recommends starting to check these indicators between ages 25 and 30, as symptoms often do not appear until long after the disease process has begun.
This test measures blood sugar levels after fasting overnight. The normal range for adults not suffering from diabetes is 70-99 milligrams per deciliter, while levels between 100-125 indicate prediabetes, and 126 or higher indicate diabetes. However, Comet prefers a narrower range of 70 to 80, pointing out that consistently exceeding 80, especially with high insulin, is an early warning sign of insulin resistance.
The second indicator: Fasting Insulin
Comet describes this indicator as "the most important and most overlooked" in medicine, because it reveals how hard the pancreas is working to stabilize blood sugar. It is rarely requested by doctors, but it can alert you to metabolic problems decades before glucose levels rise.
Comet explains that she prefers to see an insulin level below 2, while traditional doctors consider 2-5 normal. She adds that an increase to high single digits or tens indicates that metabolic dysfunction has already begun.
This indicator reflects the average blood sugar over three months. Generally, a normal level is less than 5.7%, with prediabetes ranging from 5.7% to 6.4%, and diabetes 6.5% or higher. However, Comet targets a level below 5.0%, warning that exceeding 5.6% means you are in the prediabetes phase with metabolic dysfunction. She recommends checking it at least once or twice a year.
The fourth indicator: Cholesterol Risk Ratio
It's not enough to look at "bad" LDL cholesterol alone, as Comet says. It is better to calculate the Cholesterol Risk Ratio (CRR), which is total cholesterol divided by "good" HDL cholesterol. The optimal ratio is 2 or less, and a ratio above 2 indicates an increased risk of heart disease, while a ratio above 3.5 to 4 indicates a higher risk.
Testosterone is not just a male hormone, as women also need it because it controls energy, libido, muscle mass, metabolism, and mood in both sexes. Comet says that low levels lead to muscle loss, increased abdominal fat, and worsened insulin resistance. The free testosterone test measures the biologically active quantity available for immediate use in the blood.
Comet emphasizes the importance of looking at these five indicators as a connected group, not as separate numbers, considering other factors such as body composition, personal and family medical history, and lifestyle.
She adds that sleep, diet, exercise, stress, and the surrounding environment such as toxins all play an important role in evaluating your overall health and your success in slowing down your aging.
