5 medical tests that might save your life
That yearly checkup doesn’t guarantee you’re covered. Ask your GP about other important screens such as this one:

Vitamin B12
If you never seem to have enough energy, this simple screen may be in order. It measures the amount of vitamin B12 in the blood, which helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells in the body. “In addition to fatigue, low levels of this nutrient can cause numbness or tingling in the arms and legs, weakness, loss of balance, and anemia,” says Professor Lloyd Van Winkle, a clinical associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in the US.

Who needs it?
Consider this test if you’re a vegetarian, since the only dietary source of vitamin B12 comes from animals. Vegans are especially at risk because none of their natural food sources contain vitamin B12. In fact, one German study found that 26 per cent of vegetarians and 52 per cent of vegans had low B12 levels.

Cost
About $20 to $42.

Text: Heather Lee & Ng Mei Yan

Read this article in the August issue of Shape. Out now at newsstands.