Understanding the science

To understand the benefits of these health assessments, Chan believes it’s important to point out the evolution of medicine. We’re moving away from an emphasis on medicine that, if you have a particular disease, “is good at extending your life but not necessarily at curing your disease”, he says.

In place of that, we’re gravitating towards wellness approaches that focus on prevention and an individual’s physiological factors – as well as their lifestyle.

“That’s where functional medicine comes in. It’s about the individuality; we need to understand where your body’s weaknesses lie. If you’re more prone to certain things, we need to look into strengthening those weak points a little bit more,” says Chan.

Who can benefit from being tested?

“Realistically,” Chan says, “only people who are very obsessive about their health, the optimisers, [get tested] because we’re still early in the game. But more idealistically, anyone could be doing it – especially if your family has a history [of] chronic disease.” Meanwhile, athletes looking to optimise their lifestyle and those interested in improving their performance in general are also encouraged to test.

What are the tests worth knowing about?

While some assessments like DNA testing have become more popular in the past few years, higher-end variations have also popped up in the market. According to Chan, the genetic methylation test is one of them. It screens patients to identify if there could be potential issues with naturally occurring biochemical processes in the body that influence cardiovascular health, risk of disease and more.

Another popular choice is liquid biopsy, a blood test that scans for cancer.

“[You] draw multiple vials of blood and they’ll be able to do 50 different types of cancer screening – which is really good because with many different types of cancer, they’re not tested [for] well or you don’t even know you need to test [for] them,” Chan says. He gives pancreatic cancer as an example of a disease that isn’t tested for until symptoms show up, at which point it’s often too late to treat.

On metabolic testing, Chan highlights the DXA scan. “It literally measures the fat [and] muscle components in your body, which is a very good indication of how healthy you are.”

Body composition may not be obvious on the surface, either, with “skinny fat” and “fatty liver” being two examples of not-always-visible health problems. A key takeaway, says Chan: “Don’t judge people by the cover. Test, don’t guess.”

He adds that having good muscle composition in your 40s and 50s will help maintain your condition “even if you have 1 per cent decay every year” – but the important thing is building up your muscle capacity before you get to that point.

“And of course you have your telomere length test,” Chan says, referring to a form of longevity-related testing. Used as an indicator of overall and cellular health, the test associates shorter telomeres (protective caps at the ends of chromosomes necessary for cell division) with an increased risk of developing diseases usually linked to ageing, as the shortening process is associated with growing older.

Chan also mentions that gut microbiome tests have become more popular in Hong Kong lately. Revealing what type of bacteria and fungi are present in the gut, often with major differences between individuals, the assessment can be used to provide advice on digestive health.

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