Most men can quote their weight and their best running time and cannot say what their blood sugar or cholesterol is. This guide reads five numbers like a dashboard. Each gets a plain explanation of what it measures, what a typical reference looks like and what to ask. None of it is a diagnosis. A doctor decides what a result means.
Before the numbers
Reference values differ between laboratories. Sources agree on that point. Values also change with the time of day and the season without meaning anything. A single result is usually not conclusive. It should be read together with other results and over time. The figures below are general ranges from health information sources and are not personal targets.
Where the free tests sit
The statutory health check up is offered once between 18 and 34 and every three years from 35, according to the Federal Ministry of Health. From 35 it includes a blood lipid profile such as cholesterol and a glucose test, plus blood pressure, a urine test and a one time screening for hepatitis B and C. Blood pressure is not a blood value, but it belongs on the same dashboard. For many men the first two numbers below cost nothing and are skipped anyway. Barmer reports that just over 44 percent of eligible men attend the check up, against about 50 percent of women.
Number 1: HbA1c, the long term blood sugar
HbA1c shows how much sugar has attached to red blood cells and reflects the average blood sugar over the past 8 to 12 weeks. According to the Apotheken Umschau a value below 5.7 percent is regarded as healthy, 5.7 to below 6.5 percent as prediabetes and 6.5 percent or higher as diabetes. A diagnosis needs at least one more lab value such as fasting glucose. A good average can hide swings between high and low readings. What to ask: whether the result is in the healthy range and whether anything about weight, food or activity should change.
Number 2: LDL cholesterol
LDL is the cholesterol that deposits in the walls of arteries. It is the number that guidelines build their targets around. In the 2019 European guideline the target depends on overall risk. As reported by the Deutsches Ärzteblatt it is below 116 mg/dl for people at low risk and below 100 mg/dl at moderate risk. It gets stricter as risk rises. The reason is that the same number means different things for different men. What to ask: which risk group applies and whether the target is met.
Number 3: GPT, a liver enzyme
GPT, also called ALT, is an enzyme found mainly in liver cells. When these cells are damaged it leaks into the blood. The Apotheken Umschau gives an upper limit of 50 U/l for men. Common causes of a raised value include chronic alcohol consumption, liver inflammation and certain medications. GPT is broken down slowly, so it can stay raised for a while even after the liver starts to recover. What to ask: what is behind a raised value and whether alcohol or medication could be part of it.
Number 4: eGFR, the kidney filter
The kidneys filter the blood. The eGFR is an estimate of how well. The Apotheken Umschau says that a value below 60 ml per minute defines chronic kidney weakness. It also says that eGFR typically drops by about one percent per year from around age 40. Many older people fall below 60 without needing treatment. The most common causes of damage are poorly controlled diabetes and high blood pressure. Creatinine is the related blood value, with a general reference for men of 0.57 to 1.3 mg/dl. What to ask: how the value has moved over the years.
Number 5: PSA, the one that needs a conversation
PSA is a protein made by the prostate. The test is the most debated number on this list. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, of 1,000 men who take the test one or two are spared death from prostate cancer. About 30 of 1,000 receive an overdiagnosis and possibly unnecessary treatment. A raised PSA can also come from a urinary infection, prostate inflammation, benign enlargement or physical strain such as cycling. A tumour can be present without a rise. The test is generally paid by the patient unless there is a concrete suspicion or a family history. A preliminary 2025 guideline suggests that men aged 45 and over with a life expectancy of at least ten years should be able to have PSA measured after detailed counselling. The advice from the same source is to get informed first and to consider the test only if a biopsy would be accepted after an abnormal result.
What does not belong on the dashboard
Supplement stacks do not belong here. A long list of pills is not a substitute for knowing the five numbers above. A 2025 meta analysis of eight randomised trials found no significant benefit of NMN for blood sugar or lipids. The Verbraucherzentrale says there is no scientific evidence that NMN makes people healthier. NMN is also a novel food that may not be used in supplements or other foods in the EU. The sources checked show no authorisation yet.
Why men should care
A number is only useful if it is known and tracked. Men who follow every detail of a training plan can apply the same habit to a blood test. The value of a number comes from the trend and not from a single reading. A man who knows his results over five years has more information than one who has a perfect result once.
Questions men ask
Which blood values should men know?
Long term blood sugar, LDL cholesterol, a liver enzyme, kidney function and, after counselling, PSA. Blood pressure belongs next to them.
Is a check up free?
Yes. The statutory check up is offered every three years from age 35 and includes cholesterol and glucose tests.
What is a healthy HbA1c?
The Apotheken Umschau gives below 5.7 percent as healthy, with 5.7 to below 6.5 percent as prediabetes. Labs differ.
Should every man take a PSA test?
It is a personal decision with benefits and harms. The Verbraucherzentrale advises informed counselling first.
Can supplements fix blood values?
No evidence shows that NMN improves blood sugar or lipids in healthy adults.
Numbers need a person: our rule
Here is the LongevityLife view. A blood value without a doctor is just a number on a screen. We like men who know their numbers and we like it more when they know who to ask. A brand that sends men to the doctor before the shop could be the best one to listen to. Questions are welcome at mylongevitylife.com.
The bottom line
Five numbers cover a lot of ground. They are HbA1c, LDL cholesterol, GPT, eGFR and a considered decision on PSA. The statutory check up covers some of them for free. A doctor can explain the rest. Reference ranges vary. A trend tells more than a single reading.
This article is for information only and does not replace medical advice.