10 Biomarkers Every Whole-Health Program Should Be Tracking
The diagnostic toolkit for scaling virtual whole-health programs
Healthcare consumers expect whole-health programs that are tailored to their lifestyles, values, and long-term goals, but meaningful personalization takes more than symptom checklists. It requires clinical data.
The right lab tests for whole-health programs help providers move toward measurable, evidence-based care.
Not sure what lab tests a wellness program should include? Discover which biomarkers to track in your whole-health program to build the kind of clinical credibility that drives long-term patient satisfaction and outcomes, which can help build retention.
1. HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin)
A hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test reveals a patient's average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months. Unlike a single fasting glucose reading, it captures patterns rather than moments.
Why Track HbA1c:
An estimated 27.6% of U.S. adults with diabetes are undiagnosed, representing more than 11 million people carrying unaddressed metabolic risk without knowing it.
HbA1c can identify prediabetes before patients develop overt symptoms, creating a critical early intervention window.
HbA1c trends over time reveal whether lifestyle changes are working or whether clinical support needs to escalate.
HbA1c is a foundational biomarker for programs addressing metabolic function, weight management, or longevity.
The bottom line: HbA1c gives whole-health programs a window into long-term metabolic trends, making it easier to catch issues early, measure the impact of interventions, and demonstrate clinical progress that keeps patients engaged over time.
2. Fasting Insulin
Research suggests that insulin resistance may precede a type 2 diabetes diagnosis by 10 to 15 years, during which HbA1c can still return normal results.
Why Track Fasting Insulin:
Among U.S. adults, the prevalence of insulin resistance is approximately 40%, and that rate increases in middle-aged and older populations.
Elevated insulin contributes to weight gain, inflammation, hormonal disruption, and cardiovascular risk, often years before any symptoms appear.
The bottom line: Whole-health programs that include fasting insulin are better positioned to intervene early, personalize care, and demonstrate clinical value before a patient’s health declines.
3. Lipid Panel
Lipid panels are standard. Whole-health programs should aim to look at the full picture.
Why Track Lipid Panel:
A 2024 review of nearly 50,000 participants found the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio to be one of the more accurate surrogate markers for insulin resistance, including in non-obese individuals — often more predictive than total cholesterol or LDL alone.
HDL and triglyceride patterns together reveal cardiovascular risk that a single total cholesterol number obscures.
Tracking lipid ratios over time gives patients a tangible marker that can be influenced by diet, exercise, and stress management, making progress more visible and measurable over time.
The bottom line: Visible improvement in lipid ratios can help support long-term patient engagement in care and health.
4. Testosterone (Total and Free)
Testosterone plays a critical role in regulating systemic metabolism for both men and women, making it an essential biomarker for whole-health programs serving diverse patient populations.
Why Track Testosterone:
In men, low testosterone correlates with fatigue, mood changes, reduced muscle mass, and metabolic dysfunction.
In women, both elevated and low testosterone affect energy, joint pain, libido, and body composition.
Total testosterone alone can be misleading: free testosterone reflects what’s biologically available and active.
Tracking both may support a more complete picture when interpreted alongside thyroid and cortisol values.
The bottom line: Tracking both total and free testosterone helps expand the clinical picture, and helps position whole-health programs as a more complete care solution.
5. Estradiol (Estrogen)
Estradiol can be a valuable biomarker that providers can track when serving women across different life stages.
Why Track Estradiol:
Because estradiol affects bone density, cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and mood, tracking it gives whole-health platforms a single biomarker that supports multiple care pathways simultaneously.
Estradiol decline in perimenopause often precedes symptoms by years, making early tracking a prevention tool rather than just a diagnostic one.
Low estradiol is linked to increased fracture risk, cardiovascular vulnerability, and accelerated cognitive aging.
The bottom line: Estradiol shifts often occur long before patients notice them, and tracking estradiol values early can support more personalized women’s health programs and stronger long-term patient outcomes and retention.
6. Thyroid Panels (TSH, Free T3, Free T4)
A complete thyroid panel provides a more comprehensive view of whether the thyroid is producing enough hormone and whether the body is converting it properly than testing TSH alone.
Why Track Thyroid Panels:
An estimated 11.7% of the U.S. population was affected by hypothyroidism as of 2019, with rates highest among women and adults over 60.
Subclinical hypothyroidism affects an estimated 3–15% of the population and often goes unrecognized due to many individuals being asymptomatic.
Whole-health programs focused on hormonal health can benefit from all three test values to help build a complete clinical picture of thyroid health.
The bottom line: A complete thyroid panel may provide answers that a standard test might not be able to deliver.
7. Vitamin D (25-Hydroxyvitamin D)
For brands building out a whole-health lab panel, vitamin D can be a practical place to start.
Why Track Vitamin D:
An estimated 29% of U.S. adults are vitamin D deficient, with insufficiency affecting nearly 40% when broader thresholds are applied.
Deficiency is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, mood disorders, and several chronic conditions.
Vitamin D levels often respond relatively quickly to supplementation and lifestyle changes, making the nutrient an early indicator of patient progress and engagement.
The bottom line: Vitamin D is one of the few biomarkers where wellness programs can demonstrate measurable improvement within a relatively short timeframe, making it a strong marker for tracking program outcomes over time.
8. Cortisol
Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone, and its dysregulation may have a cascading effect on nearly every other biomarker in a whole-health panel.
Why Track Cortisol:
Chronically elevated cortisol can simultaneously interfere with thyroid hormone conversion, immune markers, and metabolic function.
Prolonged dysregulation can swing in either direction, and both high and low cortisol create clinical patterns that affect how other biomarkers in the panel should be interpreted.
Cortisol affects multiple systems at once, making it an important biomarker for interpreting whole-health panels more accurately.
The bottom line: Chronic cortisol dysregulation has cascading effects on metabolism, immune function, and hormonal balance, making it an important biomarker for whole-health programs.
9. IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1)
IGF-1 reflects growth hormone activity and is a key marker for metabolic health, muscle maintenance, and cellular repair.
Why Track IGF-1:
Poor sleep directly suppresses IGF-1, meaning chronic insomnia or disrupted rest can accelerate IGF-1 decline independent of age.
Low IGF-1 expression in skeletal muscle is linked to reduced muscle protein synthesis, a key driver of muscle loss and metabolic function.
For longevity-focused programs working with patients on body composition or recovery, IGF-1 offers visibility that most standard panels lack.
IGF-1 offers a window into physiological aging and recovery capacity beyond what standard metabolic panels capture.
The bottom line: IGF-1 gives providers additional visibility into recovery, muscle maintenance, and healthy aging.
10. hsCRP (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein)
Inflammation is a root driver of cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune conditions, and accelerated aging. hsCRP measures low-level systemic inflammation that standard CRP tests miss.
Why Track hsCRP:
35% of U.S. adults have elevated systemic inflammation based on hsCRP levels, with rates reaching nearly 42% among those with diagnosed cardiometabolic disease.
Research across more than 160,000 individuals found that each standard deviation increase in hsCRP was associated with a 37% higher risk of coronary heart disease and a 55% higher risk of cardiovascular death.
Dietary changes, sleep improvements, stress management, and targeted supplementation can all meaningfully affect hsCRP, making it a trackable response marker.
Monitoring hsCRP over the course of a program creates measurable, motivating proof that interventions are working at the cellular level.
The bottom line: hsCRP makes silent inflammation visible, and for whole-health programs, a biomarker that responds visibly to lifestyle interventions can become a powerful tool for demonstrating measurable intervention impact and keeping patients engaged.
Build a Smarter Diagnostic Program with OpenLoop
The 10 biomarkers covered here can help virtual care-delivered wellness programs make personalized care more measurable, proactive, and scalable.
But building a scalable whole-health diagnostics program requires the right clinical infrastructure behind it. And that’s where OpenLoop comes in. From lab integration and provider networks to compliance support and operational workflows, OpenLoop helps organizations expand diagnostic capabilities without adding unnecessary operational complexity.
With OpenLoop, you get access to:
Nationwide pharmacy & labs networks
A 50-state NCQA-accredited, licensed clinician network
Medically reviewed, repeatable protocols built for scalability
Clinically compliant infrastructure designed to adapt as regulations evolve
Patient support services available 24/7
Let your team stay focused on care delivery and growth while OpenLoop handles the infrastructure powering your whole-health program. Contact our team to get started.
*This content is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. For guidance on your specific situation, please consult a licensed attorney.