THIS OVERLOOKED HEALTH METRIC IS VITAL TO LONGEVITY—YET MOST ADULTS DON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS

Our collective obsession with longevity is alive and well—and for good reason. Who doesn’t want to live a longer, healthier life? But while the Dr. Wellness Influencers of the world tout punishing workout routines, protein-maxxing, and questionable biohacking tricks, the secret to improving your healthspan may lie in understanding this underappreciated metric: metabolic health.

According to a recent survey from Everyday Health and YouGov of 3,000 U.S. adults, 48 percent had heard the term “metabolic health” but were unsure of its meaning, while 32 percent had never heard of it. The confusion is understandable; metabolic health is a newer term without a standardized definition. Typically, it refers to how well our bodies process nutrients, use energy, and maintain homeostasis (keeping your system balanced and running as it should). Some experts also define metabolic health as the absence of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health issues like high blood pressure and insulin resistance that affects an estimated one in three U.S. adults.

Interestingly, the survey also found that 48 percent of respondents assumed that metabolic health was just about weight. But the reality is a bit more complex. Doctors use a few different metrics to evaluate metabolic health, including blood sugar levels, blood pressure, cholesterol, waist circumference, and muscle mass. The worse your metabolic health, the more chronic damage and strain is placed on your system—your heart, kidneys, pancreas, and arteries—which in turn increases the risk of developing serious health issues like stroke, heart attack, and diabetes. And these chronic diseases can hugely affect your overall longevity.

Clearly, more of us can stand to get a better handle on this vital health metric. Regular checkups and bloodwork panels can help you understand your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, while consistent exercise, good sleep, and a balanced diet all help lower your risk of chronic diseases over time. It’s also critical to ask your primary care provider about your muscle mass, liver health, and triglyceride levels (which measure the main type of fat in your blood). They’re also important aspects of your metabolic health, but, according to the same survey, aren’t often brought up in the doctor’s office.

At the end of the day, metabolic health is both a snapshot of your current well-being and a key predictor of future longevity. If you want to be a centenarian (or at least, add some extra healthy years onto your life), prioritizing this metric is a good place to start.

2026-08-05T20:23:43Z