This is my personal take on staying healthy in later life, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before acting on any of it.
Reaching 60 sharply increases your risk of many chronic conditions and age-related diseases. And it’s getting worse: recent UK figures show we now become unhealthy at a median age of around 60.7, meaning half the population already has some serious disease by then, and most of the rest aren’t far behind. Astonishingly, that number has fallen by about two years over the last decade. So even though we’re living slightly longer, we’re spending more of it unwell than before. That makes routine checks for early detection look like an increasingly good bet.
The good news is that most of these are now cheap and easy. In many countries a yearly blood panel is routine — the UK is unusual in not doing this — and a new wave of home-testing companies offer them for a fraction of what the overpriced clinics charge. Here are the ten I think everyone over 60 should consider.
A blood sugar test. To check for type 2 diabetes, once a year. A fasting glucose gives you a snapshot of where you are right now; better still is an HbA1c, which reflects your average blood sugar over the previous three months.
A cholesterol test. Cheap, easy, and important for heart health. Forget total cholesterol — it’s not that useful. Focus on non-HDL cholesterol, the number that comes up again and again in the studies. Many countries are now also measuring ApoA and ApoB, small proteins that flag particularly high genetic risk and are well worth knowing.
An inflammation test. Ask for a high-sensitivity CRP (C-reactive protein), which picks up low levels. Inflammation drives heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia, and probably feeds into mental health too. Studies show that even slightly raised CRP is a bigger risk factor than high cholesterol — so everyone should know their number.
An online cognition test. Great for setting a baseline for your brain. As memory naturally declines you can retest yourself and track how you’re doing. There are free versions online.
Blood pressure. Your best defence against heart attacks and stroke. A home monitor costs around £20 — probably the best health investment you can make. Check it weekly and aim to keep your readings under 135/80.
The six-minute walk test. Free, and a remarkably good predictor of how long you’ll live — far cheaper than the fancy VO2 max testing on offer at gyms. Measure out a garden or a long room, set a timer, and see how far you get. Reaching 400 metres means you’re doing very well.
A gut health test. Two things to look for. First, a FIT stool test (offered on the NHS) to detect blood in your stool and catch colon cancer — though the NHS version isn’t very sensitive, so a private one that picks up lower levels can be worth it. A colonoscopy remains the best way to catch early cancers if you can afford one or your insurance covers it. And increasingly people are using gut microbiome tests like ZOE as a benchmark for gut health.
A skin cancer check. Every three years or so, since most melanomas — and the other skin cancers, BCC and SCC — appear after 60. A nurse may examine your skin with a magnifier, or newer technology can help: my wife recently set up a company called Skintell, a fully automated booth that uses AI to select the best images and produce expert reports. I think this is very much the future.
Body composition. Available at many gyms and chemists, this shows how much body fat, muscle mass and visceral fat you’re carrying — a good general read on your health.
A bone density (DEXA) scan. To assess your fracture risk, especially useful if you’re over 60 and have already had a fracture. Worth getting at least once so you know whether it’s something to worry about.
None of these will keep you young on their own, but together they give you a remarkably full picture of your health, and the chance to act early, while it still makes a difference. So there are my top ten for staying healthy in your 60s.
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