Men's Health Checklist 40+: Tests, Habits & Supplements to Consider

By Jordan Harvey · 31 July 2026 · Updated 31 July 2026 · 9 min read

Turning 40 is a sensible point to take stock. Most of what keeps a man well in his 40s, 50s and beyond is not glamorous: it is a short list of checks worth asking your GP about, a handful of everyday habits, and only then, a small role for supplements where your diet has genuine gaps. This is a practical, UK-focused men’s health checklist. Print it, tick it off, and take the questions to your next GP appointment. None of it replaces professional advice — it is meant to help you have a better conversation when you get there.

How to Use This Checklist

The list below is split into three parts, in order of importance: tests and screenings to ask about, habits that make the biggest difference, and where supplements fit. Work top-down. A perfect supplement routine counts for very little if your blood pressure is high and untreated, so the screening section is where to start.

Frequencies and age bands here are general UK pointers drawn from NHS guidance and private screening providers such as Nuffield Health and Medichecks; your GP will tailor what and how often you actually need based on your history, family history and any symptoms.

Part 1 — Tests & Screenings to Ask Your GP About

These are the checks most worth raising in your 40s. Some you can get free on the NHS; others you might choose to pay for privately. The point of the list is to make sure none of them quietly slips off the radar for a decade.

The core numbers

• Blood pressure — the classic “silent” reading, because high blood pressure usually has no symptoms. The NHS suggests adults have it checked at least every five years, and more often if it has been raised. A pharmacy or GP surgery can do it in minutes.
• Cholesterol / lipids — a simple blood test for total, LDL (“bad”) and HDL (“good”) cholesterol. It feeds into your overall heart-disease risk score and is part of the NHS Health Check.
• Blood sugar (HbA1c) — HbA1c is a blood test that reflects your average blood sugar over the past two to three months, used to flag type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. Risk climbs with age and waist size.
• NHS Health Check (40–74) — a free check-up offered every five years to adults aged 40–74 in England without a pre-existing condition. It bundles blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes risk and lifestyle into one appointment. If you have not been invited, ask your surgery.

Weight, body and the physical checks

• Weight, BMI and waist measurement — BMI (body mass index, your weight relative to your height) is a rough guide; waist size is often the more useful number for men. As a general UK pointer, a waist of 94cm (about 37in) or more raises health risk, and 102cm (40in) or more raises it further.
• Testicular self-check — a quick monthly self-examination in the shower for any new lump or change. Testicular cancer is most common in younger men, but the habit is worth keeping; report anything unusual to your GP promptly.
• Prostate / PSA discussion — there is no national prostate screening programme in the UK, but men over 50 (or over 45 with a family history or of Black ethnicity, who are at higher risk) can request a conversation with their GP about the PSA blood test, including its limits. The point is an informed discussion, not an automatic test.
• Eye test — an optician’s eye test every two years checks vision and can pick up early signs of conditions such as glaucoma, and sometimes clues to high blood pressure or diabetes.

The checks men skip most

• Mental health review — low mood, persistent stress, anxiety and poor sleep are health issues, not character flaws. If something has felt off for more than a couple of weeks, raise it with your GP the same way you would a physical symptom.
• Alcohol review — an honest tally of your weekly units (the UK guideline is to stay under 14 units a week, spread over three or more days). Your GP can do a brief, non-judgemental review if you are unsure where you stand.
• Sexual-health screen — a routine sexual-health screen is sensible if you have a new partner or any concern; it is a standard, confidential check available through GP surgeries and sexual-health clinics.
• Dental check-up — easy to let slide, but gum health is linked to wider health, and dentists also screen for early signs of mouth cancer.

Part 2 — The Habits That Matter Most

No supplement comes close to the effect of these basics done consistently. If you only act on one part of this article, make it this one. The habits below are the ground that everything else is built on.

• Move regularly, and add some strength work — the UK guideline is at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening activity on two days. From your 40s onward, the strength element matters more, because muscle mass naturally declines with age.
• Protect your sleep — aim for roughly seven to nine hours. Poor sleep feeds into weight, mood, blood sugar and blood pressure, so it is rarely just a tiredness problem.
• Eat a sensible, varied diet — plenty of vegetables, some fruit, enough protein, more fibre and less ultra-processed food. A genuinely varied diet is also what removes the need for most supplements.
• Keep alcohol within 14 units a week — the UK low-risk guideline, ideally spread across the week with several drink-free days, rather than saved up for the weekend.
• Stop smoking — if you smoke, this is the highest-impact single change available, at any age. Your GP or the NHS stop-smoking service can help.
• Manage stress and stay connected — chronic stress and isolation both take a measurable toll. Regular contact with friends, time outdoors and simple downtime are not luxuries.

Part 3 — Where Supplements Actually Fit

Supplements are the smallest lever on this list, and they work best as a way to correct a specific gap in your diet — not as an insurance policy against the rest of it. For most men eating reasonably well, the genuinely evidence-backed cases are short.

The clearest UK case: vitamin D in winter NHS advice

The NHS advises that everyone in the UK consider a daily 10 micrograms (400 IU) vitamin D supplement in the autumn and winter months, because there is not enough sunlight in the UK between roughly October and March for the skin to make its own. Some people — those who are rarely outdoors, or who cover their skin — may benefit year-round. This is a sensible, low-cost, well-evidenced exception rather than a cure-all.

Correcting genuine dietary gaps

Beyond vitamin D, supplements are worth considering only where a real shortfall exists. If you eat little oily fish, an omega-3 supplement may fill that gap; if your diet is low in certain nutrients, a basic multivitamin can act as a backstop. The principle is the same throughout: fix the diet first, supplement the gap second. A blood test through your GP or a private provider can confirm whether a deficiency is actually present before you spend money guessing.

For a broader walk-through of this area, see our guides to supplements for men over 40 and how priorities shift across the decades in our supplement guide by age. If low energy, low mood or other symptoms have you wondering about your hormones, our explainer on the signs of low testosterone sets out when it is worth raising with your GP rather than reaching for a product.

Your One-Page Checklist

Pull these together and take them to your next appointment. Tick what is already done; flag what is overdue.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

A men’s health checklist for 40+ is less about any single product and more about not letting the basics slip. Get the core numbers checked — blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar — use the free NHS Health Check if you are eligible, and keep up the screenings that men most often skip. Lock in the habits that do the real work: movement and strength, sleep, a sensible diet, alcohol within 14 units a week, and stopping smoking.

Supplements come last, and small. Vitamin D in the UK winter is the one widely-advised exception; beyond that, they earn their place only where your diet genuinely falls short. Take this list to your GP, tick off what is done, and act on what is overdue — that, far more than anything in a bottle, is what keeps a man well into his 50s and beyond.