Podcast episode 58 (in German)

Blood values for biohackers: the longevity panel fact-checked

August 28, 2026

Measure instead of guess: this episode builds the blood panel the longevity scene uses to track its metabolism, from fasting insulin to ApoB to the omega-3 index. It explains which values warn early and how to avoid false alarms.

What it is about

The standard check-up at the doctor’s asks whether someone is ill; biohackers want to know how far they are from the optimum and in which direction they are moving. The episode sorts the panel by area: glucose metabolism, heart and vessels, inflammation, hormone axes, nutrients and organ basics. It names the scene’s target ranges, explains why ApoB is increasingly replacing classic LDL, and uses an example to show how inconspicuous individual values together form a pattern. Then come the rules of the craft: fasting, rested, at the same time of day, trends instead of snapshots. At the end stand a starter package and a cycle of measuring, changing one thing and measuring again.

Key points

Fasting insulin is considered an early warning system; glucose and insulin give the HOMA index, which the scene wants to see well below 2, ambitiously below 1.
As longevity targets, the episode names an HbA1c below 5.4 percent and a triglyceride-to-HDL ratio below 2; around 1 is considered strong.
For hsCRP, below 1 milligram per liter counts as good, and the scene is pleased below 0.5; homocysteine should be below 10, with B12, folate and B6 as levers.
The scene aims for vitamin D at 40 to 60 nanograms per milliliter, measured as 25-OH-D, and for the omega-3 index at 8 to 11 percent; Lp(a) is enough once in a lifetime.
The scene’s rhythm: a large panel 1 to 2 times a year, after a change a follow-up after 8 to 12 weeks; beforehand 48 hours without hard training, and after an infection wait 4 weeks.
High-dose biotin can interfere with lab tests, including thyroid values, and is stopped 3 days beforehand; creatine raises creatinine, for which cystatin C is the alternative value.
The episode’s example, mid-40s: HbA1c 5.6, HOMA around 3, hsCRP around 2; no value is pathological, but together they show beginning insulin resistance plus smoldering inflammation.

Where the data stop

The episode’s target ranges are optimal values as the longevity scene aims for them, not medical reference ranges. That a value moving from the normal range into the optimum brings more healthy years is the idea behind the panel; the episode justifies it with risk markers, not with studies on exactly these target values. A single value is a snapshot, often blurred by training, infection, alcohol or poor sleep; so first repeat it under clean conditions, then assess it.

A conspicuous value is a reason for a conversation with your doctor, not a diagnosis to make yourself. Requested values at the family doctor are often a self-pay service, but they come with advice. Hormone values, in women depending on the phase of life, belong under medical supervision, and when there are symptoms no panel replaces an examination.

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Published on August 28, 2026.

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Information only, not medical advice and not a usage or dosage recommendation. Prescription-only and unapproved substances belong in the hands of a physician. Last updated: 2026-09-26.