When I turned 50, I didn’t care how many birthdays I had left.

I cared whether I could still carry my groceries. Climb stairs. Finish a sentence without losing the thread

I cared how many good years I had left.

Not lifespan. Healthspan.

I wanted to know how long I could stay sharp, strong, and independent. Not just alive, but thriving. So I started asking a new question of my patients, my research, and myself:

What’s the one blood test that tells me how fast I’m aging?

Most people think it’s cholesterol. Or maybe blood sugar. But those are lagging indicators. They tell you what’s broken, not what’s brewing.

The test I care about most now?

Hs-CRP.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Hs-CRP levels predict more than inflammation — they can forecast your future health. The higher the number, the shorter the path to chronic disease.

It’s not flashy. It doesn’t trend on social media.

However, it may be the most important number you’re not tracking.

Why Inflammation Matters More Than You Think

Hs-CRP is a marker of inflammation.

And inflammation, more than almost anything else, is what turns time into damage.

Chronic inflammation accelerates heart disease. It promotes cancer. It fuels Alzheimer’s, frailty, and age-related decline.

You don’t need a PhD to understand this: aging well means inflaming less.

Hs-CRP doesn’t measure one disease. It measures your body’s silent alarm system.

And when it’s elevated, things are already smoldering.

In healthy adults, hs-CRP should be below 1.0 mg/L.

Between 1 and 3 is a moderate risk. Anything above 3 is a warning sign.

Here’s the problem: Most people don’t know their number. And most doctors don’t order it unless you’ve already had a heart attack.

But if you care about your healthspan, you should.

Ask your doctor to add hs-CRP to your next blood panel. It could change how you age.

Why Most Doctors Don’t Order This Test

Medicine tends to focus on what’s urgent, not what’s important.

Hs-CRP doesn’t diagnose a specific disease. It doesn’t tell you what organ is failing. It just whispers: something’s wrong.

And in modern medicine, whispers get ignored.

In the U.S., insurance may not routinely cover it unless you’re already at high cardiovascular risk.

Clinical guidelines don’t push it for prevention.

And most physicians are too busy putting out fires to go looking for smoke.

But that’s exactly what this test reveals: slow, quiet inflammation that may not make headlines, but shortens your healthspan all the same.

Can You Order hs-CRP Without a Doctor? Yes — in most U.S. states, you can. Services like Ulta Lab Tests, Request A Test, or Walk-In Lab allow you to order an hs-CRP online for $30–$70. You choose a local draw site, such as Quest or Labcorp. No doctor visit required. Exceptions: New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island restrict consumer lab orders.

What My Patients Taught Me

Some of my fittest-looking patients had elevated hs-CRP.

Not because they were overweight.

But because they were inflamed.

Sleep deprivation. Chronic stress. Processed foods. Environmental toxins. Dental infections. Even loneliness.

Inflammation has many faces.

And that’s what makes hs-CRP so powerful: it doesn’t just reflect one system. It integrates them all.

The gut. The immune system. The heart. Even the brain.

Want more patient insights? Read What Dying Patients Taught Me About Living.

The Science Behind CRP and Aging

The liver makes C-reactive protein in response to inflammation. But it’s not just a random flare-up detector — it’s a proxy for systemic stress.

Numerous studies have shown that oxidative stress is linked to accelerated telomere shortening and dysfunction. Oxidative stress caused by inflammation, cell factors, or environmental exposures contributes to degenerative diseases and cancer.

The lower your inflammation, the slower your biological clock.

What Happened When I Lowered Mine

The first time I measured my hs-CRP, it was 2.9.

I was sleeping 5 hours a night, skipping meals between consults, and not drinking enough water.

Nothing looked wrong on paper. But I felt off—mentally slower, physically stiff, emotionally flat.

Six months later, I made three changes:

• I walked every morning before checking my phone.
• I swapped protein bars for real food.
• I prioritized sleep as if it were a prescription.

My hs-CRP dropped to 0.7.

My brain felt clearer.

My joints were less inflamed.

Even my mood improved.

One number, many ripple effects.

Lowering Your hs-CRP (and Raising Your Healthspan)

No drug magically cures inflammation. But lifestyle can.

What works?

• Fiber (especially soluble fiber from legumes, chia seeds, oats, and vegetables
• Omega-3s (like those from fish or algae oil)
• Sleep (7–8 hours, not negotiable)
• Walking (daily, ideally in nature)
• Resistance training (2–3x/week)
• Social connection (yes, seriously)
• Oral hygiene (brush, floss, and keep your mouth free of inflammation — it’s your body’s open door to systemic disease)
• Screen-free wind-down time (to calm your nervous system)

You don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to be in rhythm.

I check my hs-CRP every 6 months now. Not because I’m afraid of dying.

But because I want to live well.

The Textbook Answer

For most healthy individuals, routine C-reactive protein (CRP) testing is not necessary.

However, there are some exceptions where it can be useful, especially high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), which can assess chronic, low-grade inflammation, a known risk factor for heart disease and other conditions.

Here’s a breakdown of when it might be useful:

You might consider hs-CRP testing if you:

• Have a family history of heart disease or early cardiovascular events.
• Have metabolic syndrome or multiple cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity).
• Have autoimmune symptoms (e.g., fatigue, joint pain, skin issues) and your doctor is evaluating for inflammatory conditions.
• You are already diagnosed with heart disease or chronic inflammatory conditions (like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus), and your provider uses CRP to monitor disease activity.

You probably don’t need CRP testing if:

• You’re young, healthy, and asymptomatic with no notable risk factors.
• You’re not going to change your treatment plan based on the result (i.e., no action would be taken).

Final Thoughts

You can’t choose your genes. But you can choose your daily fire level.

Inflammation is optional.

Hs-CRP is the one number I now track more than cholesterol, blood pressure, or glucose.

Because it reveals how much damage I’m silently absorbing.

And how much resilience I still have left.

If you want to extend your healthspan, start by asking for this one test.

Your primary healthcare provider can tell you if it is appropriate for you.

Curious how gut health and inflammation silently erode your health?
Read The Silent Killer in Your Gut — one of my most-read essays.

Scientific Sources

1. Ridker, P.M., Moorthy, M.V., Cook, N.R., Rifai, N., Lee, I.M., & Buring, J.E. (2024). Inflammation, Cholesterol, Lipoprotein(a), and 30-Year Cardiovascular Outcomes in Women. New England Journal of Medicine, 391(9), 2087–2097. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2405182

2. Lassale, C., Batty, G.D., Steptoe, A., Cadar, D., Akbaraly, T.N., Kivimäki, M., & Zaninotto, P. (2019). Association of 10-Year C-Reactive Protein Trajectories With Markers of Healthy Aging: Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 74(2), 195–203. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly028

3. Yao, S.-M., Zheng, P.-P., Wan, Y.-H., Dong, W., Miao, G.-B., Wang, H., & Yang, J.-F. (2021). Adding high-sensitivity C-reactive protein to frailty assessment to predict mortality and cardiovascular events in elderly inpatients with cardiovascular disease. Experimental Gerontology, 146, 111235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2021.111235

Want to Lower Inflammation and Extend Healthspan — Without Guesswork?

Want a clear plan to lower your inflammation and extend your healthspan?

I built a doctor-designed guide to lower your inflammation, heal your gut, and extend your healthspan:

Extending Life and Healthspan

Inside, you’ll find:

• The daily habits I use to reduce inflammation
• The #1 longevity lever I recommend to patients (that isn’t a pill)
• What I tell patients who want to age without decline

It’s simple. Practical. And rooted in the science, I trust.

Michael Hunter, MD, is a physician and writer focused on healthspan, helping people live longer, healthier lives — one lab result at a time.