You can now get your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and BMI checked at Amiry & Gilbride Pharmacy, to help prevent future health issues. All of these tests, which involve a simple and quick finger prick test, scan for health problems which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and they can be carried out by our pharmacy teams. Once we have the results, we will give you a personalised report detailing these, and our pharmacy team will then discuss their recommendations with you and offer advice on ways to improve your health by making lifestyle changes.
Service Description
The tailored health check report will include specific guidance and results for the following tests:
- Blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Analysis of body composition
- Cholesterol
- Lifestyle advice
- A 10-year risk assessment of your risk of stroke and heart problems
- Medication review
You’ll need to make an appointment for the health check service, which takes around 20 minutes. And to ensure you get the most out of your appointment, you’ll need to complete a pre-health check form, which will allow us to have all your details before you arrive. This form, which you can access by clicking the button on the right, only takes a few short minutes to complete.
Before you arrive
It’s best to make an appointment for at least three hours after getting up, eating or exercising, to ensure the measurements are accurate. It’s best if clothing is removed before the measurements are taken and that you are well hydrated. If you don’t wish to undress, you’ll need to remove any socks or tights and make sure your feet are clean for stepping onto our measuring platform. Your heels have to line up with the electrons on the platform, but it doesn’t matter if your toes overhang, as we can still obtain accurate readings. It’s important to take readings at a similar time of day and under the same conditions as much as possible, to ensure consistency. This will allow us to compare body fat, weight and monitor progress effectively. NB: If the soles of your feet are dirty, if you have bent knees or you are in a seated position, the readings will not be accurate.
Bronze service £8
Body composition analysis
We now offer body composition analysis as part of the health check service, which allows you to understand your body through accurate measurements.
Body fat mass and fat percentage
Body fat mass is how much the fat in your body weighs, while body fat percentage is the proportion of fat compared to your total body weight. We all need some body fat to cushion joints, maintain body temperature and protect internal organs, but too much fat is damaging to long-term health. The body composition monitors that we use allow you to check your body fat and that you are doing enough exercise to burn the energy, or calories, you consume through eating and drinking. Excess body fat can be reduced through regular exercise and a balanced diet, resulting in reduced risk of health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer. We can also check for low body fat, as too little could increase the risk of irregular periods and infertility in women and osteoporosis in later life.
Visceral Fat
This is found in your core abdominal area, which surrounds your internal organs and protects them. Although your weight and amount of body fat may remain stable, as you age the way fat is distributed around your body changes, resulting in a bulkier abdominal area. It’s important to maintain a healthy amount of visceral fat in order to reduce the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Muscle Mass
The health check service will also look at the weight of any muscle in the body and this includes skeletal muscles, digestive and cardiac muscles, which are known as smooth muscles, and the water which is contained inside them. Because muscles act like an engine to consume energy, it is good to try and increase your muscle mass, to speed up the rate your body burns energy and its basal metabolic rate (BMR). This can help reduce the amount of excess body fat and you will lose weight in the healthiest way. If you do large amounts of exercise, your muscle mass will increase and also your overall body weight, which is why it’s a good idea to regularly monitor your body measurements to check how your training regime is impacting your muscle mass.
Total Body Water
The amount of fluid in your body shown as a percentage of your total weight is called Total Body Water. This is a vital part of remaining healthy, as water, which makes up half of your body, is responsible for regulating body temperature and it helps to eliminate waste. Our bodies are constantly losing water through breathing, sweating and urinating, which is why you should be drinking water regularly to replace it. Keeping well hydrated is vital for general wellbeing and can aid concentration and improve sports performance. How much fluid you need varies and is affected by the amount of physical activity you do and also weather conditions. The recommended amount of fluid each person should drink is at least two litres a day and this should ideally be water or low calorie drinks. When exercising or undertaking a training programme, this should be increased, to replenish the excess fluid lost and ensure peak performance. A healthy female should have a total body water range of between 45 and 60%, while for a male it is 50-65%.
Bone Mass
This is the amount of bone mineral in your body, which does undergo changes in the short term, but it’s important to track over time in order to check for long-term changes. Maintaining healthy bones can be supported by eating a balanced diet which is rich in calcium and doing regular weight-bearing exercise to build up strength.
Physique Rating
There are nine body types and a physique rating assesses your body fat and muscle levels to rate this. Muscle mass and body fat changes gradually, depending on your activity level, which in turn has an effect on overall physique.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
BMR is the minimum amount of energy/calories your body needs when it is at rest, which includes sleeping, in order to be able to function effectively. You can speed up your BMR by increasing muscle mass, which means you will burn more calories than another person with low BMR. The BMR measurement we give you can be used as a guideline for any diet programme, as we know that around 70% of daily calories are burned for basal metabolism.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Widely used as a general gauge of health, this is the ratio of your weight to height and is worked out by dividing weight in kilograms by the square in metres of your height. While it is a good indicator for the general population, it is quite limited when it comes to assessing an individual’s health.
Muscle quality
Our muscles change due to age and fitness, so a muscle quality assessment can look at the state of your muscle. Young people and those who do regular exercise normally have muscles which are in a good state.
Daily calorie intake
This is an estimate of the amount of calories you can consume over a day in order to maintain current weight and it can be used to help with your daily meal planning. DCI is the total amount of calories for BMR, daily activities metabolism and what is known as diet-induced thermogenesis (the energy used in digestion and absorption). If you want to lose weight, you should consume less calories than your DCI, but be sure to continue physical activity in order to not lose muscle mass.
Muscle quality score
Muscle mass for adults aged 18 or over is assessed and calculated by looking at how much muscle mass there is and measuring it against height. The RD-953 scanner shows the muscle mass as a score, and the higher the number, the more muscle mass there is.
Segmental Muscle Mass
This gives you ratings for muscle mass in your core abdominal area and arms and legs, to allow you to see the impact of your exercise programme over time. It can also be useful to help correct muscle imbalances and prevent injury.
Segmental Body Fat Percentages
Like segmental muscle mass, this looks at five parts of the body – the arms, legs and core abdominal area and gives the percentage of body fat in each. Monitoring this can help you work out the impact of your training programme over time and make adjustments as needed.
Blood pressure
Experts believe that around five million people in the UK have undiagnosed high blood pressure, which can put strain on blood vessels, cause them to narrow and lead to blood clots and heart disease. You may be more at risk if you:
- Don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables
- Eat too much salt
- Are overweight
- Drink too much alcohol
- Don’t exercise regularly
Regular checking of your blood pressure is quick and easy and can be carried out by our pharmacy teams without an appointment.
Silver service £15
This is the same as the Bronze service, with the addition of:
Blood glucose test
Raised blood sugar levels can be a sign of diabetes, and while it is normal to have some glucose for vital energy, it’s important to know if you have undiagnosed diabetes by checking the amount. This quick and easy test, which involves a finger prick blood sample, can be carried out at our Amiry & Gilbride Pharmacy. Pop in anytime to take the test. If we find you are at elevated risk of diabetes, we may refer you to your GP. Our pharmacists are also on hand to provide lifestyle advice to help reduce your risk of this disease.
Gold service: £20
With the gold service, you get all of the above tests, plus:
Cholesterol test
It is recommended that you get your cholesterol checked every five years if you are over the age of 20. This fatty substance is caused by any fatty foods we eat and is broken down in the liver. However, two-thirds of adults have a cholesterol level which is higher than recommended, putting them at risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The Amiry & Gilbride cholesterol test checks High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and Triglycerides to show the total amount of cholesterol.
Total cholesterol shows how much you have in your blood, which includes LDL, HDL and Triglycerides. LDL is known as bad cholesterol and is the main cause of blockage in the arteries due to cholesterol build-up. HDL, or good cholesterol, helps to remove cholesterol from inside the arteries. Triglycerides are another type of fat found in the bloodstream which can increase the risk of heart disease, as well as the following lifestyle factors:
- Being overweight
- Not exercising enough
- Eating a diet which is high in saturated fat and cholesterol Drinking more alcohol than the recommended amount Family history of any heart disease
Platinum service: £30
This includes all the tests mentioned above, as well as:
HBA1C check
This checks glycated haemoglobin, which is when the protein in red blood cells becomes glycated after joining with blood glucose. As it carries oxygen around the body, it’s important to check whether it has become glycated, to check your average levels of blood sugar over several weeks or months. It is particularly important that patients with diabetes check this, as the higher the rate of HbA1c, the greater risk there is of going on to develop diabetes-related complications.
Anyone who has diabetes mellitus should have a test for HbA1c annually, although some may have it more often, especially if their medication has changed or it has been advised by health professionals. While this test can’t predict diabetes complications, it can lower the risk if you have good control over HbA1c levels. This test also involves a finger prick sample. Visit your nearest Amiry & Gilbride Pharmacy for more information or to have a test. Again, you may be referred to your GP if our pharmacists find that you are at risk of heart disease in future.
Service details
Price: Free or a small charge
Frequency: As required
