Longevity Biomarkers: What to Track, How Often and Why

Longevity biomarkers are objective measurements — from blood, physical performance or epigenetics — that help estimate risk, functional reserve and aging trajectory better than date of birth alone. They are not a crystal ball: they become useful when repeated, interpreted medically and tied to a concrete decision.

The idea is straightforward: two 50-year-olds can have bodies that function in radically different ways. One may have the aerobic capacity of a 35-year-old while the other has inflammation markers typical of someone aged 65. Your ID card says nothing useful about this. Biomarkers do.

Peter Attia sums it up well in Outlive: conventional medicine waits for disease to appear before acting. Longevity medicine — what he calls "Medicine 3.0" — uses biomarkers to detect deterioration years before it becomes a diagnosis. Measure first, intervene second, measure again. This is preventive medicine applied to longevity and the logic behind any personalized longevity protocol based on evidence.

The practical rule is simple: measure fewer things, but measure the ones that change decisions. A good panel combines clinical markers, functional tests, body composition and, in selected cases, epigenetic clocks. It can also include continuous signals such as heart rate variability (HRV) to interpret recovery, sleep and autonomic load. If you want the wider framework before choosing a test, start with this guide to biological age testing with clinical context.

At Progevita we measure over 50 biomarkers in every programme. But not all carry equal weight. The priority is to rank data by decision value: cardiometabolic risk, physical function and clinical safety first; advanced markers such as suPAR, epigenetic clocks or omics later, when there is a clear hypothesis.

The same filter applies to emerging imaging. Midjourney Medical's ultrasound scanner is interesting because it could one day add repeatable body-composition data, but it would still need validation and clinical context before it belongs in a longevity biomarker panel.

2026 update: scientific consensus vs commercial panels

In 2025, an international Delphi panel proposed 14 biomarkers of aging for use as outcomes in intervention studies: IGF-1, methylation-derived GDF15, hsCRP, IL-6, muscle mass, muscle strength, grip strength, Timed-Up-and-Go, gait speed, standing balance, frailty phenotype, cognitive health, blood pressure and epigenetic clocks. The clinical takeaway is not “order 14 tests tomorrow”. It is more useful: measurable longevity is not only in blood work; it also lives in how you walk, balance, remember, breathe and generate force.

A 2026 validation in Biomarker Research compared those 14 candidates in the Berlin Aging Study II cohort. In adjusted models, grip strength, IL-6, balance, cognitive health and DunedinPACE predicted mortality; DunedinPACE was the most consistent predictor. A minimal combination of muscle mass, balance and DunedinPACE came close to the full model. This was observational work in adults aged 60-80, so it does not turn an epigenetic clock into a diagnosis, but it does reinforce a key point: a serious longevity panel combines molecular biology with real physical function.

What not to infer: these biomarkers were proposed as research and intervention endpoints, not as a universal commercial testing list. A 42-year-old with high ApoB and elevated blood pressure does not need the same panel as a 62-year-old woman with falls, brain fog and falling strength. Risk, safety and clinical decisions set the order.

Domain	What it adds	Practical translation
Physical function	Strength, gait, balance, mobility and frailty.	It is not enough to be lean: measure reserve, fall risk and independence.
Inflammation	hsCRP, IL-6 and more stable signals such as suPAR.	Separate acute inflammation from chronic noise that accelerates cardiometabolic risk.
Cognition	Processing speed, functional memory and neurovascular status.	Especially relevant with focus complaints, poor sleep, menopause or vascular risk.
Epigenetics	Methylation-estimated biological pace, not a standalone diagnosis.	Useful for advanced follow-up if repeated with the same lab and read with clinical data.

0. Blood pressure — the silent biomarker you cannot skip

Blood pressure sounds less futuristic than an epigenetic clock, but it is one of the most actionable longevity markers. Years of elevated pressure damage arteries, brain, kidneys and heart before symptoms appear. That is why it sits inside the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 and should be measured before buying any advanced panel.

What to measure: office blood pressure and, when needed, home readings or 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. Both the average and the night-time pattern matter. A target near <120/80 mmHg can be reasonable in selected people if tolerated, but goals should be individualized for age, frailty, medication, dizziness, kidney function and global risk.

Why it matters: in SPRINT, more intensive treatment in higher-risk adults reduced cardiovascular events and mortality, while increasing some adverse events. The practical message is not “everyone needs the same number”; it is that blood pressure deserves method, follow-up and medical judgment.

1. VO₂max — your cardiorespiratory fitness

VO₂max measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, in millilitres per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min). It is one of the most useful clinical predictors of all-cause mortality and functional reserve; if you want the deeper dive, read our guide to VO2 max and longevity.

The most compelling data comes from a 2018 study published in JAMA Network Open (Mandsager et al., PMID: 30646252) with 122,007 patients followed for over a decade: those with the highest aerobic capacity had a 5-fold lower mortality risk compared to those with low fitness. Each additional MET of cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with 13% lower mortality. This is powerful observational evidence, not a direct drug comparison or an individual guarantee; it does explain why measuring and training aerobic capacity carries so much preventive weight.

Interestingly, there was no plateau: more aerobic fitness was always better, even at the highest levels. No point of "too much fitness" was found.

Classification	VO₂max men (mL/kg/min)	VO₂max women (mL/kg/min)	Relative mortality risk
Low	< 30	< 25	Reference (1.0)
Below average	30–35	25–30	0.71
Average	35–40	30–35	0.55
Above average	40–45	35–40	0.39
High / Elite	≥ 45	≥ 38	0.20

How it's measured: exercise test with gas analyser (cardiopulmonary exercise testing). At Progevita we use the Q-NRG max during a graded test on a treadmill or bike. It takes about 15 minutes and requires wearing a mask that measures gas exchange in real time.

Longevity target: men ≥ 40 mL/kg/min, women ≥ 35 mL/kg/min. Ideally, be in the 75th percentile or above for your age group.

2. Grip strength — more than squeezing hard

It might seem like an overly simple test. You squeeze a dynamometer as hard as you can and get a number in kilograms. But that figure predicts mortality, disability, cognitive decline and hospitalisation with a consistency that has surprised researchers for decades.

The PURE study (Leong et al., The Lancet, 2015, PMID: 25982160) analysed 139,691 people across 17 countries over four years. Result: each 5 kg reduction in grip strength was associated with 16% higher all-cause mortality and 17% higher cardiovascular mortality. In that cohort, grip strength added prognostic signal even against classic markers such as systolic blood pressure, without replacing them.

Why does something so simple work so well? Because grip strength doesn't just measure your hand. It's a proxy for your total muscle mass, neuromuscular function and overall health status. It's like taking the temperature of your entire musculoskeletal system with a single number.

How it's measured: handheld dynamometer. Three attempts with each hand, best value recorded. Measured in every Progevita programme as part of the Longevity evaluation.

Guideline targets: men ≥ 40 kg, women ≥ 25 kg. What matters most is being above the 50th percentile for your age and sex group, ideally the 75th+.

3. HbA1c and fasting glucose — metabolic control

Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) reflects your average blood glucose over the past 2-3 months. It is the most reliable mid-term marker of metabolic control, and elevated levels — even within the "normal" range — are associated with higher cardiovascular risk, cognitive decline, cancer and mortality.

Conventional medicine diagnoses diabetes at HbA1c ≥ 6.5% and prediabetes at 5.7%. In prevention, the useful question appears earlier: is there insulin resistance, visceral fat, fatty liver or muscle loss even while HbA1c remains "normal"? Optimal ranges should not become dogma, but a persistently high-normal HbA1c together with elevated insulin often justifies action before waiting for a diagnosis.

Fasting glucose complements HbA1c: it tells you how your metabolism is doing this morning, not over the past three months. Values between 70-90 mg/dL are optimal for longevity; above 100 mg/dL already indicates insulin resistance, even if it's not "diabetic."

Fasting insulin is the earliest sentinel: it rises years before glucose does. Levels above 8 µU/mL already suggest the body is producing more insulin than it should to control blood sugar. The ideal: below 5 µU/mL. If metabolic markers are altered, drugs such as metformin may belong in a personalized programme, always under medical supervision.

Marker	Conventional "normal" range	Optimal range for longevity	Recommended frequency
HbA1c	< 5.7%	4.8 – 5.4%	Every 6 months
Fasting glucose	70 – 100 mg/dL	70 – 90 mg/dL	Annual
Fasting insulin	2 – 25 µU/mL	2 – 5 µU/mL	Annual
HOMA-IR	< 2.5	< 1.5	Annual

How to improve: reduce refined carbohydrates, add fasting windows (12-16 hours), resistance train (muscle is a glucose "sink"), sleep 7-8 hours and manage stress. At Progevita, the Inflammaging programme includes metabolic diagnostics and a personalised anti-inflammatory nutrition plan.

4. hsCRP and suPAR — silent chronic inflammation

Low-grade chronic inflammation — what science calls inflammaging — is probably the greatest accelerator of aging. It doesn't hurt, doesn't cause fever, produces no obvious symptoms. One of its main drivers is the accumulation of senescent cells, which continuously release cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-α. But it damages blood vessels, neurons, joints and tissues for years before a diagnosable disease appears.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is the classic marker. The CANTOS study (Ridker et al., NEJM, 2017, PMID: 28845751) demonstrated that reducing inflammation with an anti-IL-1β antibody lowered cardiovascular events by 15%, independent of cholesterol levels. Optimal hsCRP levels for longevity are below 1.0 mg/L. Above 3.0 mg/L, cardiovascular risk triples.

suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor) is newer and, in some respects, more informative. While hsCRP fluctuates with acute infections, suPAR reflects stable, chronic systemic inflammation (Rasmussen et al., J Gerontol A, 2021, PMID: 32766674). It correlates with accelerated ageing, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and cognitive decline.

How it's measured: both from a standard blood draw. At Progevita, the suPAR test is included in the Inflammaging and Women's Vital Path programmes, with immediate results.

Longevity target: hsCRP < 1.0 mg/L, suPAR in the low range for your age.

5. ApoB — the number that matters in your lipid profile

Forget "good cholesterol and bad cholesterol" as absolute categories. In longevity medicine, the marker that has proven most accurate for predicting cardiovascular risk is apolipoprotein B (ApoB).

ApoB counts the actual number of atherogenic particles circulating in your blood — every LDL, VLDL and IDL particle carries exactly one ApoB molecule. Conventional LDL cholesterol measures the cholesterol content inside those particles, but two people with the same LDL can have very different particle counts. And what damages arteries is the particles, not the cholesterol they carry.

Another marker can change the risk picture even when cholesterol looks normal: high lipoprotein(a), an inherited LDL-like particle that is worth measuring at least once when prevention needs to be precise.

Discordance evidence shows that when LDL-C and ApoB tell different stories, risk often tracks more closely with ApoB. ESC/EAS guidance still keeps LDL-C central, but recognises ApoB as a useful secondary target, especially in diabetes, obesity, high triglycerides, metabolic syndrome or suspected discordance.

Longevity target: ApoB < 90 mg/dL for primary prevention, < 65 mg/dL with existing risk factors. Peter Attia and other longevity leaders recommend even < 60 mg/dL as an aggressive long-term goal.

How it's measured: blood test. Strict fasting is not required (ApoB is stable). At Progevita we include it in the cardiovascular risk profile available as a complementary diagnostic.

6. Vitamin D — far beyond bones

Vitamin D stopped being just "the bone vitamin" over a decade ago. It is a hormone that regulates the expression of more than 1,000 genes, influences immune function, inflammation, insulin sensitivity and cognitive function.

The problem: vitamin D insufficiency is common even in Mediterranean countries, especially with limited sun exposure, obesity, older age, darker skin, malabsorption or bone risk. But dogma is unhelpful here: the NIH considers around 20 ng/mL sufficient for most people, and the 2024 Endocrine Society guideline does not recommend routine screening in healthy adults without a specific indication.

Low vitamin D levels are associated with higher all-cause mortality, higher infection rates, greater risk of osteoporosis and fractures, poorer immune response and higher prevalence of depression. Correcting vitamin D deficiency can matter for bone, muscle and immune health, but it should not be sold as a universal longevity shortcut in people whose levels are already adequate.

Practical target: avoid deficiency and individualize. In selected monitored patients — bone risk, little sun exposure, malabsorption, frailty or relevant medication — a range near 30-50 ng/mL may be reasonable, while avoiding persistently high levels without indication. Test every 6-12 months when deficiency, supplementation or clinical risk is present; do not use it as a universal longevity test.

Typical supplementation: 1,000 – 4,000 IU/day of vitamin D3 when there is deficiency or insufficiency, adjusted for blood levels, sun exposure, diet, kidney function, calcium and medication. Vitamin K2 may be considered in selected contexts, but it does not cancel excessive dosing or replace monitoring.

7. Homocysteine — the silent methylation marker

Homocysteine is an amino acid that accumulates when the body's methylation cycles are not working properly. Elevated levels are associated with higher cardiovascular risk, cognitive decline, dementia and osteoporotic fractures.

The "normal" lab range often extends up to 15 µmol/L, but high or high-normal values may point to low B12/folate, altered kidney function, medication effects or higher vascular risk depending on context. It is better read as a clinical clue than as a biohacking score.

Elevated homocysteine usually indicates deficiencies in vitamins B6, B9 (folate) and B12 — cofactors needed for methylation. Correcting true deficiencies with oral supplementation often normalises levels within weeks. The caution: lowering homocysteine does not automatically mean fewer clinical events. First confirm B12, folate, kidney function, medication and context.

Practical target: if elevated, investigate the cause and correct real deficiencies. In preventive follow-up many clinicians prefer to see it in the low-normal range, but it should not be treated in isolation or sold as event reduction by number-chasing.

8. Hormones — testosterone, oestradiol and thyroid

Hormones are not just "sex hormones." They regulate body composition, mood, cognition, sleep, energy and recovery capacity. Their decline with age does not always require treatment, but it can explain symptoms and risks when interpreted with clinical context, age, sex, sleep, body composition and medication.

Testosterone (men): may decline with age, visceral fat, poor sleep, alcohol, illness, medication or overtraining. Low levels are associated with muscle loss, increased visceral fat, fatigue, depression and higher risk in observational studies. But there is no universal “longevity target”. Serious interpretation uses symptoms, two morning measurements, total testosterone, SHBG/calculated free testosterone, prolactin/LH when relevant, sleep apnea, fertility, prostate, haematocrit and cardiovascular risk.

Oestradiol (women): the decline during perimenopause and menopause accelerates bone loss, increases cardiovascular risk and impairs cognitive function. The ELITE trial (Hodis et al., NEJM, 2016, PMID: 26927946) suggested slower carotid intima-media thickness progression when estradiol was started close to menopause, but it does not make hormone therapy a universal cardiovascular intervention. Symptoms, age, route, breast history, clot risk, uterus, migraine, family history and preferences all matter. At Progevita, the Women's Vital Path programme includes a complete hormonal profile and follow-up plan.

Thyroid (TSH, T3, free T4): subclinical hypothyroidism can cause fatigue, weight gain, constipation and brain fog, but many other problems mimic it. TSH is interpreted with free T4, age, symptoms, antibodies, medication, iodine, biotin use and cardiovascular context. In prevention, the useful goal is not chasing a “perfect” TSH; it is avoiding missed true hypothyroidism and avoiding overtreatment of lab variation.

9. Body composition — beyond the scales

The scales don't distinguish between fat, muscle, bone and water. You can weigh the "right" amount and still have too much visceral fat and too little muscle — what's known as "normal weight obesity" or skinny fat. It's a high metabolic risk profile that goes undetected in conventional check-ups.

The two markers that matter:

Muscle mass: sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) is one of the main predictors of frailty, falls, fractures and loss of independence. After 30, you lose 3-8% of muscle mass per decade if you don't resistance train. Maintaining it is an absolute priority for longevity.

Body fat percentage: more important than BMI, which doesn't distinguish composition. Guideline targets: men 10-20%, women 18-28%. Visceral (abdominal) fat is the most dangerous: it secretes inflammatory cytokines and is associated with insulin resistance, fatty liver and elevated cardiovascular risk. In midlife women, this helps separate total weight from the fat redistribution often seen during menopause.

How it's measured: multi-frequency bioimpedance or DEXA. At Progevita we use a Tanita multi-frequency bioimpedance device that segments muscle mass, fat and water by region. It's included in all programmes.

10. Epigenetic age — the biological clock

All the previous biomarkers measure specific functions. Epigenetic clocks attempt to answer the direct question: how fast are you aging?

They work by measuring DNA methylation patterns — chemical marks that accumulate or are lost at specific positions in the genome as we age. Different clocks measure different things:

Epigenetic clock	What it measures	Target	Reference
Horvath Clock	General biological age	≤ chronological age	Horvath, Genome Biology, 2013
GrimAge	Mortality risk	≤ chronological age	Lu et al., Aging, 2019 (PMID: 30669119)
PhenoAge	Biological frailty	≤ chronological age	Levine et al., Aging, 2018
DunedinPACE	Current pace of aging	< 1.00 (ideal: 0.85 – 0.95)	Belsky et al., eLife, 2022

GrimAge has shown strong prediction of all-cause mortality in cohort studies (Hillary et al., J Gerontol A, 2021, PMID: 33211845). DunedinPACE measures something different and complementary: not your accumulated biological age, but how fast you're aging right now. A DunedinPACE of 1.00 means you're aging one biological year for every calendar year. Below 1.00, you're aging more slowly. Above, faster.

What makes these tests promising is that they may be sensitive to lifestyle change and cumulative risk. The caution: laboratories, algorithms and testing conditions vary. A change of a few months does not always mean true rejuvenation. They are expensive (€200-500), useful for advanced follow-up and still evolving.

Minimum vs advanced panel: what to track first

The longevity market pushes people to measure everything: 100 analytes, omics, clocks, microbiome, wearables and genetic risk. The useful question is quieter: which marker changes a decision this week, this quarter or this year?

The American Heart Association updated its Life's Essential 8 framework in 2022 to include sleep, activity, weight, glucose, lipids, blood pressure, diet and nicotine exposure. It is not an “anti-aging” list, which is exactly why it matters. It reminds us that the heart, brain and kidneys pay for years of cumulative exposure. In the SPRINT trial, more intensive blood pressure control reduced cardiovascular events and mortality in higher-risk adults, although some adverse events increased. Practical translation: blood pressure matters a lot, but targets should be individualised.

Decision hierarchy	Question	Examples
1. Clinical safety	Is there anything that limits training, fasting, supplementation or treatment?	CBC, eGFR, liver enzymes, ferritin, medication, red-flag symptoms.
2. Cumulative risk	Which exposure is damaging arteries, metabolism or kidneys month after month?	Blood pressure, ApoB/Lp(a), HbA1c, insulin, waist, albuminuria.
3. Functional reserve	How much physical and cognitive independence are we protecting?	VO₂max, strength, muscle mass, gait, balance, sleep, cognition.
4. Advanced markers	Which finer signal changes the plan once the basics are controlled?	suPAR, Oxytest, CGM, microbiome, epigenetic clocks, omics.

Level	What to measure	Why it matters	When to repeat
Base	Blood pressure, waist-to-height ratio, sleep, steps or activity	Vascular risk, visceral fat and recovery	Weekly to monthly
Essential blood work	HbA1c, glucose, insulin, ApoB, Lp(a), hsCRP, CBC, ferritin, eGFR/cystatin C, ALT/AST/GGT and albuminuria	Metabolism, cardiovascular risk, inflammation and clinical safety	6-12 months
Function	VO₂max, grip strength, body composition, gait speed, balance and mobility	Physical reserve, fall risk and future independence	3-12 months
Advanced	suPAR, hormones, Oxytest, CGM, epigenetic clocks, omics	Finer context when there is a clinical hypothesis	Goal-dependent

This order avoids two mistakes: spending money on sophisticated tests while blood pressure or ApoB remain high, and chasing “biological age” before measuring strength, VO₂max or visceral fat. Longevity medicine is not about collecting data; it is about turning data into decisions. If your main question is athletic fatigue, ferritin, CK or training load, read the companion guide to recovery biomarkers for athletes.

Biomarkers to interpret with caution

Some markers are interesting, but they are often used more strongly than the evidence supports. Know their place before buying an expensive panel:

• Telomere length: it is associated with risk in populations, but can be noisy for one person. It rarely drives an intervention by itself.
• High HDL-C: it does not cancel out high ApoB. Drug trials that raised HDL-C have not consistently reduced events.
• Blood NAD+: it can be useful in research or selected protocols, but it does not justify an infusion without symptoms, goals and response markers.
• Continuous glucose in healthy people: it can reveal food, sleep and stress patterns, but can also create anxiety around normal spikes. Read it with HbA1c, insulin, body composition and context.
• One-off epigenetic age: it becomes more useful when repeated with the same laboratory and cross-checked with clinical data. A single result is not a diagnosis.

Summary table: 13 longevity and safety biomarkers

Biomarker	What it evaluates	Practical target	Frequency	Available at Progevita
Blood pressure	Vascular, brain and kidney risk	Individualize; near <120/80 if tolerated	Home + clinic	Yes
VO₂max	Cardiorespiratory fitness	M: ≥ 40, W: ≥ 35 mL/kg/min	Annual	Yes
Grip strength	Neuromuscular function	M: ≥ 40 kg, W: ≥ 25 kg	Quarterly	Yes
Gait and balance	Frailty, fall risk and independence	Stable gait speed, TUG/balance by age	Quarterly-yearly	Yes
HbA1c	Glycaemic control	4.8 – 5.4%	Every 6 months	Yes
hsCRP / suPAR	Chronic inflammation	hsCRP < 1.0 mg/L	Every 6 months	Yes
ApoB	Cardiovascular risk	< 90 mg/dL	Annual	Yes
Kidney/liver function + CBC	Clinical safety	eGFR, ALT/AST/GGT, CBC and ferritin in range	6-12 months	Yes
Vitamin D	Immunity and bone metabolism	Avoid deficiency; 30-50 ng/mL may be reasonable with indication and monitoring	6-12 months if deficient/at risk	Yes
Homocysteine	Methylation	Investigate if elevated; read with B12, folate and kidney function	Context-dependent	Yes
Hormones	Hormonal balance	Age and sex-specific	Annual	Yes
Body composition	Muscle mass vs fat	M: 10-20% fat, W: 18-28%	Quarterly	Yes
Epigenetic age	Pace of aging	≤ chronological age	Annual	Under evaluation

What to do when a biomarker is abnormal

Finding	First useful question	Reasonable next step
High blood pressure	Is it persistent, nocturnal or white-coat?	Use home/24h readings, review sleep, alcohol, salt, weight, medication and global risk.
High ApoB or Lp(a)	Particle burden or inherited risk?	Calculate risk, review LDL/non-HDL/TG, consider vascular imaging and lipid targets.
Normal HbA1c with high insulin	Early insulin resistance?	Check waist, fatty liver, strength/cardio, diet, sleep and repeat in 8-12 weeks.
High hsCRP/suPAR	Acute or chronic inflammation?	Rule out infection, periodontal disease, visceral fat, autoimmunity, smoking and poor sleep.
Abnormal eGFR, GGT, ferritin or CBC	Is there a safety issue before optimization?	Prioritize medical review: kidney, liver, anemia, iron, alcohol, medication or inflammation.

Practical retesting calendar

• Weekly: blood pressure if elevated, weight/waist if metabolically relevant, sleep and training load.
• Every 8-12 weeks: repeat markers expected to respond to a specific intervention: HbA1c, insulin, ApoB, hsCRP, GGT or ferritin if abnormal.
• Every 6-12 months: full cardiometabolic panel, kidney/liver function, CBC, body composition and medical review.
• Yearly: VO₂max, formal strength, gait/balance, mobility, treatment goals and, if used, the same epigenetic clock to compare trends.

How to use this information: measure, act, repeat

A biomarker is only useful if you do something with it. The cycle is simple:

1. Measure: get your baseline. At Progevita, the Optimization programme includes VO₂max assessment, body composition, strength testing, full blood work and medical consultation. It's the starting point.

2. Interpret: knowing the number isn't enough. You need to understand what it means in your context: age, sex, history, goals. That's why every programme includes a medical consultation where results are interpreted and a plan is designed.

3. Intervene: the four main levers are exercise (especially strength and zone 2 cardio), nutrition (real food, sufficient protein, less processed food), sleep (7-8 hours, circadian regularity) and stress management. Medical or complementary interventions — such as ozone therapy, NAD+ or plasmapheresis — do not all have the same evidence level and should only be considered with a clear objective, indication, risk review, cost and response metric.

4. Re-measure: every 3-12 months depending on the biomarker. Did your VO₂max improve? Did your hsCRP drop? Did your muscle mass increase? Without re-measurement, you're navigating blind.

This approach — measure, act, repeat — is exactly what sets a longevity clinic apart from a conventional medical check-up. The check-up tells you if you're already ill. Longevity biomarkers tell you if you're heading that way and what you can do to prevent it.

If you want to see how we turn those numbers into care, explore our treatments, Optimization, Inflammaging and about page.

Frequently asked questions

What are longevity biomarkers?

They are objective measurements — from blood, physical performance or epigenetics — that help estimate risk, functional reserve and healthspan trajectory better than chronological age alone. They include blood pressure, VO₂max, HbA1c, inflammatory markers, lipid profile, kidney/liver function and body composition, among others.

What is the most important biomarker for longevity?

VO₂max has the strongest evidence as a predictor of all-cause mortality. A 2018 study in JAMA Network Open with 122,007 people showed that the highest aerobic fitness was associated with 5-fold lower mortality risk. But no single biomarker tells the whole story: ideally you should measure several complementary ones.

How much does it cost to measure longevity biomarkers?

A full blood panel with lipid, metabolic, hormonal and inflammatory markers costs between €150 and €400 depending on the markers. A VO₂max test costs around €140 and body composition by bioimpedance around €55. Epigenetic tests range from €200 to €500. At Progevita, programmes include the main diagnostics from €1,470, with accommodation, meals, treatments and a 12-month follow-up plan.

How often should I measure my biomarkers?

It depends on the marker. Body composition and strength every 3 months. Blood markers (HbA1c, hsCRP, lipid profile, hormones) every 6-12 months. VO₂max once a year. Epigenetic clocks once a year or every 2 years. The important thing is to establish a baseline and then compare against yourself.

Can I improve my longevity biomarkers?

Yes, many biomarkers respond when the intervention is well chosen. VO₂max can improve with aerobic training and intervals; HbA1c and insulin often respond to visceral fat loss, nutrition, sleep and exercise; hsCRP can fall when the inflammatory driver is addressed; grip strength improves with progressive resistance training. Epigenetic clocks can move, but they should be interpreted as a trend, not as a standalone proof of rejuvenation.

How does Progevita measure longevity biomarkers?

Every programme includes body composition assessment (Tanita bioimpedance), grip strength, blood pressure and medical consultation. The Optimization and Leadership Path programmes add VO₂max with cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The Inflammaging and Women's Vital Path programmes include suPAR and Oxytest. Blood tests can be taken before, during or after your stay. Everything is integrated into a personalised 12-month plan.

What is the difference between biological and chronological age?

Chronological age is the number of years you've lived since birth. Biological age is how aged your body actually is, measured by functional and epigenetic biomarkers. Two people who are chronologically 50 can have biological ages of 40 and 60 respectively, depending on their habits, genetics and exposure history.

If you come from the world of biohacking, this is the key idea: no wearable or supplement replaces a clinical baseline. Measure first; then decide which intervention is worth it.

References

1. Mandsager K et al., "Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing", JAMA Network Open, 2018. PMID: 30646252.
2. Leong DP et al., "Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study", The Lancet, 2015. PMID: 25982160.
3. Ridker PM et al., "Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease (CANTOS)", NEJM, 2017. PMID: 28845751.
4. Rasmussen LJH et al., "Association Between Elevated suPAR, a New Biomarker of Inflammation, and Accelerated Aging", J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 2021. PMID: 32766674.
5. Lloyd-Jones DM et al., "Life's Essential 8: Updating and Enhancing the American Heart Association's Construct of Cardiovascular Health", Circulation, 2022. PMID: 35766027.
6. SPRINT Research Group, "A Randomized Trial of Intensive versus Standard Blood-Pressure Control", N Engl J Med, 2015. PMID: 26551272.
7. Perri G et al., "An Expert Consensus Statement on Biomarkers of Aging for Use in Intervention Studies", J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 2025. PMID: 39708300.
8. Vetter VM et al., "Comparing fourteen consensus biomarkers of aging: epigenetic pace of aging as the strongest predictor of mortality in BASE-II", Biomarker Research, 2026. PMID: 41792861.
9. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals. Accessed 2026.
10. Endocrine Society. Vitamin D for the prevention of disease guideline. 2024.
11. Sniderman AD et al., "ApoB, LDL-C, and non-HDL-C as markers of cardiovascular risk", Journal of Clinical Lipidology, 2025
12. Lu AT et al., "DNA methylation GrimAge strongly predicts lifespan and healthspan", Aging, 2019. PMID: 30669119.
13. Hillary RF et al., "GrimAge Outperforms Other Epigenetic Clocks in the Prediction of Age-Related Clinical Phenotypes and All-Cause Mortality", J Gerontol A, 2021. PMID: 33211845.
14. Hodis HN et al., "Vascular Effects of Early versus Late Postmenopausal Treatment with Estradiol (ELITE trial)", NEJM, 2016. PMID: 26927946.
15. Eugen-Olsen J et al., "Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) as a Biomarker of Systemic Chronic Inflammation", Frontiers in Immunology, 2021. PMID: 34925360.

Want to know where your biomarkers stand? Book your consultation at Progevita and start by measuring.

This article is for informational purposes and does not replace medical consultation. Biomarkers should always be interpreted in clinical context by a qualified professional.