THE AT-HOME HEALTH TEST

Hearst beauty writer Elena Chabo tries the Medichecks Health and Lifestyle Home Blood Test

I’ve been dragging myself out of bed and feeling low on energy since I can’t remember when, but couldn’t pinpoint why. I hope the Medichecks Health and Lifestyle test will give me answers. It’s an at-home finger prick test I can do myself and send into its lab, which promises to tell me about my proteins, liver health, cholesterol status, kidney health, iron status, vitamins, muscle health and inflammation. After pricking my finger with the easy-to-use test (not pleasant but very quick), I send it off and am emailed my results three days later. I’m reassured to find out that most of my results are healthy, but I do learn that I need to keep an eye on my iron levels and I have a vitamin D insufficiency – not quite a deficiency, and apparently very common – so, as recommended, I order some supplements. I find myself poring over every detail of the results, and see that my HDL (‘good’) cholesterol is just at the low end of healthy, while my LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol is equally close to the high end. The key factor in both is diet – perhaps unsurprising, given that I eat fast food three times a week. Up until now, my fast metabolism has convinced me that consuming high-fat, processed foods isn’t a problem but, to my surprise, I finally feel like prioritising my health from a perspective of more than just weight. What I will say is that the results of this test can be confusing to deconstruct and it’s easy to overanalyse them, so I’d be wary of taking an at-home test if you’re prone to health anxiety. But, overall, I’ve found the information useful. The Medichecks Health and Lifestyle Home Blood Test is £89. Other tests are also available at medichecks.com