What Can Advanced Health Markers Tell You About Your Health?
Dr. Angie Aboutalib MD, DipABLM
July 16th, 2026
When most people think about health, they think about cholesterol, blood pressure, or weight. But there are other measurements that may provide additional insight into how the body is functioning.
At Whole Med, we continue to expand our laboratory and evaluations with advanced testing that helps provide a broader picture of health. From grip strength to Cystatin C testing and biological age assessments, these tools can add valuable information alongside traditional health measurements, overall muscle quality, physical function, and physiologic reserve.
Grip strength measures the force generated by the muscles in your hands and forearms. While it may seem unrelated to overall health, research has consistently shown that lower grip strength is associated with a higher risk of disability, cardiovascular disease, hospitalization, and premature death.
In the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, which included more than 140,000 adults across 17 countries, grip strength was found to be a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure.
Researchers believe grip strength serves as a simple marker of overall muscle quality, physical function, and physiologic reserve.
Although grip strength is only one piece of the overall health picture, it illustrates how simple measurements can sometimes provide meaningful information about physical function.
At Whole Med, we are excited to add Cystatin C to our advanced laboratory panel.
Cystatin C is a protein produced by many cells and filtered by the kidneys. Used alone or with creatinine, it may improve estimated kidney function in situations where creatinine is less reliable. Interpretation depends on the individual clinical context.
Most primary care offices and hospitals rely on creatinine to estimate kidney health. While creatinine remains an important marker, it can sometimes overestimate or underestimate kidney function depending on the individual.
When clinically appropriate, Cystatin C can provide an additional data point alongside standard kidney evaluation. Results require interpretation by a qualified clinician and do not diagnose disease by themselves.
Most of us know our chronological age—the number of years we've been alive. But your biological age may tell a different story.
Biological age is an estimate of how well your body is functioning compared to others your age. It is calculated using advanced biomarkers from your blood work that reflect processes such as inflammation, metabolic health, immune function, and cellular aging.
Biological-age measures are evolving research tools. Some measures are associated with health outcomes at a population level, but evidence is not yet sufficient to treat a single score as a diagnosis or a precise prediction for an individual.
Some biological-age estimates can change over time, but a change in a score does not by itself establish that aging has been reversed or that disease risk has changed.
References: PURE grip-strength study; National Kidney Foundation guidance on Cystatin C; systematic review of epigenetic age and health outcomes.
