Superpower Biomarkers: What 100+ Markers Actually Tell You

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Quick answer: The Superpower biomarkers are roughly 100 measured blood markers (about 150 once you count calculated ratios) that map to plain health questions like “is my metabolism heading toward diabetes,” “are my hormones normal for my age,” and “are my liver and kidneys quietly under strain.” Superpower groups them into 17 plain-language health scores so a number you have never heard of (say, ApoB or HbA1c) becomes a verdict you can act on. For a yearly $199 baseline that tracks all of it over time and explains each result with an AI concierge, it is the easiest way to turn a wall of lab numbers into a clear picture of where your health actually stands.

Disclosure: Vital Signs Today may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our evidence-based assessments. We are not a medical provider; talk to a clinician before acting on test results.

What “100+ Superpower biomarkers” actually means

A biomarker is just a measurable signal in your blood that says something about how a system in your body is working. Cholesterol is a biomarker. So is blood sugar, vitamin D, and your thyroid hormone. On its own, one number is almost useless. The value of the Superpower biomarker test is that it pulls about 100 of them in a single annual draw, then about 150 counting calculated ratios, so you see how the systems interact instead of chasing one marker at a time.

Here is the part most lab reports get wrong: a column of numbers with reference ranges does not tell a normal person anything. Superpower’s answer is to translate the panel into 17 health scores plus a personalized action plan, and to give you an AI concierge you can literally ask “why is my ApoB flagged” in plain English. That translation layer, not the raw marker count, is the actual product.

There is a second thing worth understanding before you read a single result: the difference between a standard lab reference range and an optimal range. A reference range is built from the middle 95 percent of everyone who walked into that lab, sick people included. It answers “are you unusual,” not “are you healthy.” An optimal range is narrower and points at where risk is genuinely low. That gap is why a result can sit inside the normal column and still be worth acting on, and it is exactly the distinction the 17 scores are trying to make for you.

One honest caveat up front: this is a screening and tracking service, not a diagnostic clinic. It is excellent at telling you where to look. It does not replace a doctor, and any result outside the normal range should be reviewed with a clinician before you change anything.

The Superpower biomarkers, grouped by the question they answer

Instead of listing markers alphabetically, the useful way to read a panel this size is by the health question each cluster answers. That is also how Superpower’s scores are organized. Below is how the biomarker groups break down, what the numbers actually mean, and why each one earns its place in a yearly baseline.

Metabolic health: am I heading toward diabetes?

This is the cluster most worth your attention, because metabolic dysfunction is common, silent, and reversible if you catch it early. Key markers here include fasting glucose, HbA1c (your three-month average blood sugar), fasting insulin, and calculated insulin resistance. Insulin is the early-warning marker most standard checkups skip: it often climbs years before glucose does, so testing it is how you spot trouble while it is still fixable.

Here is what the numbers mean in practice. Fasting glucose under 100 mg/dL is the standard normal cutoff, 100 to 125 is the prediabetes range, and 126 or higher on repeat testing points toward diabetes. HbA1c under 5.7 percent is normal, 5.7 to 6.4 is prediabetes, and 6.5 or above is diabetic territory, though many longevity-minded clinicians like to see it under about 5.4 percent. Fasting insulin is where the panel earns its keep: standard lab “normal” runs all the way up to the mid-twenties, but an optimal fasting insulin usually sits in the low single digits to high single digits. If your glucose looks fine but your insulin is high, your body is working hard behind the scenes to keep that glucose normal, and that is early insulin resistance you would never catch on a basic checkup.

Reading these together is the point. A normal glucose with a high insulin tells a very different story than both being normal, and you only catch that contrast on a panel that runs the full metabolic group at once. If this cluster is flagged, the first moves are not medical: reducing refined carbohydrate and added sugar, adding regular walking or resistance training, improving sleep, and trimming excess weight all move these numbers, and a follow-up draw in three to six months tells you whether it worked.

Cardiovascular risk: what is my heart actually facing?

A standard cholesterol panel gives you total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. The Superpower biomarker test goes a layer deeper with markers that better predict real risk: ApoB (the count of artery-clogging particles, now considered a sharper risk signal than LDL), Lp(a) (a largely genetic risk factor you test once in your life), and hs-CRP (a measure of inflammation). If your family has heart disease, the ApoB and Lp(a) results alone can change how seriously you and your doctor take prevention.

The numbers here are worth knowing. ApoB counts every atherogenic particle, and for general prevention many clinicians aim under about 80 mg/dL, with tighter targets for people who already carry heart risk. Lp(a) is the one you test a single time in your life because it is set largely by genetics: risk starts climbing once it rises past roughly 50 mg/dL (or about 125 nmol/L, depending on the assay). A high Lp(a) does not mean you did anything wrong, it means your prevention plan for everything else should be more aggressive. hs-CRP tracks low-grade inflammation, where under 1.0 mg/L is low risk, 1 to 3 is average, and above 3 is elevated, keeping in mind that a recent cold, injury, or hard workout can spike it temporarily.

Triglycerides deserve a mention because they cross over from the metabolic story: under 150 mg/dL is standard normal, but a triglyceride number creeping up alongside a rising fasting insulin is one of the earliest fingerprints of a diet heavy in sugar and refined carbohydrate. That is a pattern you only see when the metabolic and cardiovascular clusters sit side by side on the same report.

Hormones: are my levels normal for my age and goals?

The hormone group covers thyroid (TSH, free T3, free T4), sex hormones (testosterone, estradiol, and related markers), and stress and metabolic hormones. Thyroid in particular is a frequent culprit behind unexplained fatigue, weight changes, and brain fog, and it is the kind of thing people chase for months without testing. Seeing the hormone panel in one view makes it easier to connect a symptom to a likely cause.

On thyroid, TSH generally runs about 0.4 to 4.0 mIU/L on a standard range, and it moves in the opposite direction to your actual thyroid output, so a high TSH suggests an underactive thyroid. The reason the panel also runs free T3 and free T4 is that TSH alone can look normal while the active hormones tell a different story, which is why single-marker thyroid checks miss cases. On the sex-hormone side, testosterone and estradiol read very differently by sex and age, so the useful question is rarely “am I in the lab range” and more often “is this level right for my age, my symptoms, and my goals,” which is exactly the interpretation the scores and concierge are built to supply. If fatigue, low libido, mood changes, or stalled body composition are your reason for testing, this is the cluster to read first.

Organ function: are my liver and kidneys under strain?

This group quietly does a lot of work. Liver enzymes (ALT, AST), kidney markers (creatinine and calculated eGFR), and electrolytes flag organ stress long before you would ever feel it. These are also the markers that catch side effects of medications, heavy training, or alcohol load, which is exactly the kind of slow drift a once-a-year baseline is built to surface.

A little context makes these readable. On the kidney side, a calculated eGFR of 60 or above is considered normal filtration, and a value drifting below that over successive years is the signal you want to catch early. Liver enzymes ALT and AST rise when liver cells are under stress, and the common non-alcoholic driver is a fatty liver that travels with the same metabolic problems flagged above, which is why a mildly elevated ALT is often a metabolic message rather than a liver disease on its own. One honest gotcha: a hard weightlifting session or an intense run in the day or two before your draw can transiently push AST and some muscle-linked markers up, so a single elevated reading in an otherwise clean panel is usually a “retest, do not panic” situation.

Blood, iron, and inflammation: why am I so tired?

Fatigue is the number-one reason people order bloodwork, and the answer usually lives in this group. A complete blood count (CBC), a full iron panel including ferritin (your iron stores), plus B12 and folate cover the most common fixable causes of low energy. Iron deficiency in particular is widespread and easy to miss because a basic checkup often skips ferritin entirely.

The ferritin story is the clearest example of why full-panel testing beats a quick physical. Ferritin measures stored iron, and a value under about 30 ng/mL points at genuine iron deficiency even when your hemoglobin still looks normal, which is why so many tired people are told “your blood count is fine” while the real problem sits one marker over. Many clinicians treating fatigue want to see ferritin comfortably above 50. B12 is the other frequent miss: a level under about 200 pg/mL is deficient, and the 200 to 400 gray zone can still cause symptoms in some people. Both deficiencies are cheap to correct once you actually find them, which is the whole argument for running the group rather than guessing.

Vitamins and nutrients: am I missing something basic?

Vitamin D, B12, folate, magnesium, and other micronutrient markers round out the panel. These are unglamorous but high-yield: a vitamin D or B12 deficiency is cheap to fix and can meaningfully change how you feel, yet most people have never had either measured. Catching a flat-out deficiency here is one of the most concrete payoffs of full-panel testing.

For vitamin D specifically, a level under 20 ng/mL is deficient, 20 to 30 is insufficient, and 30 to 50 is the commonly cited sufficient band, with plenty of clinicians preferring the 40 to 60 range. It is one of the most correctable numbers on the entire panel, and it is genuinely common to find it low in people who spend their days indoors or live at higher latitudes. Homocysteine, when the panel includes it, ties this group back to heart and brain health: optimal is usually cited under about 10 micromol/L, and an elevated value often responds to correcting B12, folate, and B6 status. That is the kind of connect-the-dots move you can only make when the nutrient markers and the cardiovascular markers share one report.

What does an “optimal” range actually look like?

Because this is the question that trips up almost everyone reading a lab report for the first time, it is worth pulling the key thresholds into one place. Treat these as orientation, not personal medical advice, and remember that reference ranges vary between labs and that your own targets depend on your age, sex, and history.

• Fasting glucose: under 100 mg/dL is normal, 100 to 125 is prediabetes, 126 and up (repeated) is diabetic range.
• HbA1c: under 5.7 percent is normal, 5.7 to 6.4 is prediabetes, 6.5 and up is diabetic; many aim under about 5.4 percent.
• Fasting insulin: standard “normal” stretches into the mid-twenties, but optimal usually sits in the low-to-high single digits.
• ApoB: commonly targeted under about 80 mg/dL for general prevention, lower if you already carry heart risk.
• Lp(a): risk rises past roughly 50 mg/dL (about 125 nmol/L); tested once because it is largely genetic.
• hs-CRP: under 1.0 mg/L is low risk, 1 to 3 is average, above 3 is elevated.
• Vitamin D: under 20 ng/mL is deficient, 30 to 50 is sufficient, many prefer 40 to 60.
• Ferritin: under about 30 ng/mL signals iron deficiency; many want it above 50 when treating fatigue.
• TSH: roughly 0.4 to 4.0 mIU/L standard; read alongside free T3 and free T4, not alone.

The point of listing these is not to hand you a set of pass or fail lines. It is to show why the interpretation layer matters. Half of these markers have an optimal target that is stricter than the lab range printed next to your result, and knowing that gap is the difference between “everything came back normal” and “here are the two things worth working on this year.”

Why the 17 health scores matter more than the marker count

It is tempting to shop these services on raw biomarker count, the way you would compare megapixels on a camera. That is the wrong lens. A list of 100+ Superpower biomarkers is only useful if you can understand it, and a flagged number you do not understand just becomes anxiety.

Superpower’s 17 plain-language health scores roll the underlying markers up into categories like metabolic, heart, hormones, and so on, each with a clear status and a personalized action plan. The AI concierge then lets you interrogate any result in conversation. That is the difference between “your homocysteine is 14” and “your homocysteine is elevated, here is what it means and what to do next.” For most people, that interpretation layer is what turns a blood test into a decision.

There is a quieter benefit too. A single wall of 150 numbers is paralyzing, and paralysis is why so many people order a fancy panel and then never act on it. Rolling everything into 17 scores forces a priority order: you see which two or three systems are flagged, you ignore the ten that are fine, and you spend your energy where it moves the needle. Good testing is as much about deciding what to ignore as what to chase.

How Superpower’s biomarker panel compares to other testing routes

The Superpower biomarker test is not the only way to get this data. Here is an honest read on where it fits against the main alternatives, so you can pick by what you actually need.

Function Health

Function Health is the closest comparison and, frankly, the more clinically thorough one. It runs 160+ biomarkers for $365 per year, includes two draws per year plus a urinalysis and a 6-month retest, which means more data points and tighter tracking across the year. The tradeoff is price and a newer AI chat experience. If you want the deepest possible workup and do not mind paying more, Function is a strong pick.

Superpower

Superpower covers the same core ground (100+ markers, about 150 with ratios) for $199 per year with one comprehensive annual draw, 17 health scores, an action plan, and the AI concierge. Note that it is $399 in New York and New Jersey because of state lab rules. The reason we lean toward it for most readers is simple: it hits the markers that matter, it is roughly half the price, and the score-plus-concierge translation makes the results genuinely usable rather than just abundant. For a first full-body baseline, that combination is hard to beat.

Everlywell

If you only care about one or two specific markers (say, you just want ferritin or thyroid checked), a full membership is overkill. Everlywell sells at-home, single-marker test kits run through CLIA-certified labs with per-kit pricing and online results. It is the right tool when your question is narrow and targeted, not “show me everything.” The flip side: buy three or four of those kits and you are usually past the price of a full Superpower panel, with none of the cross-marker context.

SiPhox Health

SiPhox Health offers at-home blood testing with a finger-prick option and longevity-focused panels. If a needle and a draw appointment are the thing stopping you from testing at all, the finger-prick convenience is a real advantage. The tradeoff is breadth: a finger-prick sample supports a narrower set of markers than a full venous draw like Superpower’s.

How should you prep so the numbers are actually accurate?

A biomarker panel is only as good as the sample, and a surprising number of “abnormal” results are really prep mistakes. A few practical rules keep your Superpower draw clean. Fast for 8 to 12 hours beforehand, water only, because eating skews glucose, insulin, and triglycerides most of all. Book the draw in the morning if you can, since some hormones like testosterone and cortisol follow a daily rhythm and read highest early. Skip hard exercise for a day or two before, because intense training can transiently bump liver and muscle markers and inflammation. Stay well hydrated, which makes the draw itself easier and keeps kidney markers from reading falsely concentrated. And do not stop any prescribed medication to “clean up” a result without asking your clinician, but do note what you take so the interpretation accounts for it.

The other half of accuracy is consistency over time. If you want a trendline you can trust, draw under the same conditions each year: same fasting state, similar time of morning, and ideally the same lab, since reference ranges and assays differ slightly between labs. A change that shows up because you tested fasted one year and fed the next is noise, not progress, and consistent conditions are how you strip that noise out.

How to actually use your Superpower biomarker results

Getting 100+ markers is step one. Using them is the part that pays off. A simple approach: read the 17 scores first to see which systems are flagged, then drill into the specific biomarkers behind any red score, and use the AI concierge to understand what each one means before you act. Anything outside the normal range is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a self-diagnosis.

Here is how that looks in practice. Imagine a 41-year-old who feels fine but orders the panel out of curiosity. Glucose comes back at 94, comfortably normal, so a basic checkup would have sent them home. But fasting insulin is elevated, triglycerides are creeping up, and ferritin is low. The metabolic score flags amber and the energy score flags too. The action plan is not medication, it is cut the added sugar, add three walks a week, address the low iron, and retest in four months. That is a person who caught insulin resistance years before it would have shown up as prediabetes, plus a fixable reason they have been tired, all from one draw. None of it is visible on a single marker, and all of it is obvious once the panel is read as a system.

The real long-game value is the trendline. One blood test is a snapshot. A yearly draw turns your biomarkers into a movie, so you can see whether a lifestyle change actually moved ApoB or HbA1c instead of guessing. That is the case for a tracking membership over a one-and-done test.

Related reading on Vital Signs Today

• Superpower At-Home Blood Test: How the Draw and Locations Work
• What Is the Superpower Blood Test? A Plain-English Guide
• The ‘Superhuman’ Blood Test: What People Actually Mean (and the Best Option)
• Superpower Blood Test Review (2026): Is It Worth the Membership?

Frequently asked questions

How many biomarkers does Superpower test?

Superpower measures 100+ biomarkers, or about 150 once you include calculated ratios, in a single comprehensive annual blood draw. These cover metabolic, cardiovascular, hormone, organ, blood, and nutrient markers, and they are summarized into 17 plain-language health scores so the Superpower biomarkers are actually readable rather than just numerous.

What does the Superpower biomarker test tell you that a normal checkup doesn’t?

A typical annual physical often runs a basic metabolic panel, a CBC, and a standard cholesterol panel. The Superpower biomarker test adds markers your doctor frequently skips unless you ask, including fasting insulin, ApoB, Lp(a), hs-CRP, full iron studies with ferritin, and a broad hormone and vitamin panel. Those are the markers that tend to catch problems early.

Which Superpower biomarkers matter most?

It depends on your goal, but the highest-yield groups for most adults are the metabolic markers (glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin), the advanced cardiovascular markers (ApoB, Lp(a), hs-CRP), and the fatigue panel (ferritin, B12, vitamin D, thyroid). These cluster around the most common silent and fixable issues, which is why they anchor a full-body baseline.

Do I need to fast before the Superpower blood draw?

Yes, plan to fast for 8 to 12 hours with water only, because glucose, insulin, and triglycerides are the markers most distorted by a recent meal. A morning draw is ideal since some hormones read highest early in the day, and skipping hard exercise for a day or two beforehand keeps liver, muscle, and inflammation markers from reading falsely high. Consistent conditions each year are what make your trendline trustworthy.

What is the difference between a normal range and an optimal range?

A lab reference range is built from the middle of the general population, sick people included, so it answers “are you unusual” rather than “are you healthy.” An optimal range is narrower and points at where risk is genuinely low. This is why a result can land inside the normal column and still be worth improving, and it is the gap the 17 Superpower health scores are designed to flag for you.

Is the Superpower biomarker test a diagnosis?

No. Superpower is a screening and tracking service, not a diagnostic clinic. It tells you where your numbers stand and where to look, but any result outside the normal range should be reviewed with a clinician who can order follow-up testing and make an actual diagnosis. Treat the panel as a map, not a verdict.

How much does the Superpower biomarker test cost?

Superpower is $199 per year for the membership, which includes the comprehensive annual draw, the 100+ biomarkers, the 17 health scores, the action plan, and the AI concierge. It is $399 in New York and New Jersey due to state lab rules. By comparison, Function Health runs $365 per year for 160+ biomarkers with two draws and a mid-year retest.