“Starting Five” for better health

My husband spends 100 hours a year building his Fantasy Football team… and maybe 10 minutes thinking about his health.

We’re in the final weeks before his draft, which means he’s buried in player stats and cares even less when I bring up his ApoB levels, or why he needs more Vitamin D.

So this year, I’m meeting him on his turf.

Introducing the Superpower Fantasy League: the five biomarkers I’d draft first if I had to cut my full blood panel down to a championship lineup.

Every year, I run the whole playbook: 100+ biomarkers, a beautiful dashboard, custom action plan.

But if I could only keep my starters, these are the ones I’d bet the season on.

Think I left out a star player? Hit reply and prove me wrong.

Round 1: ApoB - the Quarterback.

There are a lot of health stats you could track. But cardiometabolic health is what's securing you the Vince Lombardi.

Heart disease is still the #1 killer worldwide.

No QB? No season. Poor heart health? Play’s dead.

That’s why in Round 1, I’m drafting:

For years, LDL cholesterol was my first-round pick. Every doctor told me it was the number to watch.

Turns out, I was scouting the wrong player. ApoB is the real MVP.

ApoB counts particles, LDL counts cholesterol volume. Particles cause plaque, so ApoB tracks your risk of heart disease better.

If you want the full scouting report on why ApoB is the GOAT of heart disease biomarkers, read my rant here.

Round 2: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) - the Running back (RB)

A good RB reads the defense and finds openings before anyone else sees them.

An RB is arguably one of the most versatile players on the field. Your nutrition and inflammation are the same, with far-reaching impacts across the body.

So Round 2 goes to…

Every team needs a player who can spot trouble before it breaks the game wide open. For your body, that’s hs-CRP.

It flags hidden inflammation, the start of most diseases.

Round 3: Ferritin – the Offensive Line (OL)

Blood and oxygen are my offensive line. They don’t always get the glory, but they keep the whole system moving.

Round 3 is…

When it comes to iron panels, ferritin is the marker that matters.

Ferritin shows iron stores, not just iron in your blood. Stores predict deficiency or overload, so ferritin tracks iron status best.

Ferritin is a ‘goldilocks’ biomarker. We have to get its levels ‘just right’.

Too high? Sometimes it’s iron overload, but ferritin can also spike with inflammation, infection, liver issues, or heavy drinking.

Too low? That usually means iron deficiency, which gives way to fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness, even hair loss.

Round 4: Insulin - another Quarterback (QB)

I’m drafting two QBs. Cardiometabolic health is that important!

And that goes to…

Insulin deserves a spot on your roster even if you’re not diabetic, pre-diabetic, or even at risk.

Because insulin is often the first thing to creep when your metabolism starts losing its edge, sometimes years before other markers (like glucose or HbA1c) move at all.

In one study: insulin resistance showed up in 95% of metabolic disorder cases¹.

Round 5: Testosterone – the Tight End (TE)

Hormones are my tight end. Not always the flashiest player, but absolutely clutch.

Get them right, and everything flows: energy, recovery, mood, muscle. Get them wrong, and your game plan falls apart fast.

And Round 5 goes to…

You might be surprised that testosterone makes my draft pick. But I’m passionate it’s something men and women both need to track.

Women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men². So what’s the best way to prevent osteoporosis? GET SWOLE!

Weight training helps prevent osteoporosis by stimulating the formation of new bone tissue, resulting in stronger, denser bones.

So join me in lifting, ladies! Let’s support bone density, muscle health and testosterone through peri-menopause (which can start as early as 30, mind you³!) and menopause.

That’s my Fantasy 5. The biomarkers I’d bet my season on.

What about you? Who makes your starting lineup? Hit reply and draft your team.

P.S Our Superpower Science Team ranked their top 5. Check out what they chose here.

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