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Stephanie Nolen is exploring access, attitudes and approaches to medically assisted death around the world.

Dec. 9, 2025

Over the past five years, the practice of allowing a physician to help severely ill patients end their lives with medication has been legalized in nine countries on three continents. Courts or legislatures, or both, are considering legalization in a half-dozen more, including South Korea and South Africa, as well as eight of the 31 American states where it remains prohibited.

It is a last frontier in the expansion of individual autonomy. More people are seeking to define the terms of their deaths in the same way they have other aspects of their lives, such as marriage and childbearing. This is true even in Latin America, where conservative institutions such as the Roman Catholic church are still powerful.

“We believe in the priority of our control over our bodies, and as a heterogeneous culture, we believe in choices: If your choice does not affect me, go ahead,” said Dr. Julieta Moreno Molina, a bioethicist who has advised Colombia’s Ministry of Health on its assisted dying regulations.

Yet, as assisted death gains more acceptance, there are major unresolved questions about who should be eligible. While most countries begin with assisted death for terminal illness, which has the most public support, this is often followed quickly by a push for wider access. With that push comes often bitter public debate.

Should someone with intractable depression be allowed an assisted death?

European countries and Colombia all permit people with irremediable suffering from conditions such as depression or schizophrenia to seek an assisted death. But in Canada, the issue has become contentious. Assisted death for people who do not have a reasonably foreseeable natural death was legalized in 2021, but the government has repeatedly excluded people with mental illness. Two of them are challenging the exclusion in court on the grounds that it violates their constitutional rights.

In public debate, supporters of the right to assisted death for these patients say that people who have lived with severe depression for years, and have tried a variety of therapies and medications, should be allowed to decide when they are no longer willing to keep pursuing treatments. Opponents, concerned that mental illness can involve a pathological wish to die, say it can be difficult to predict the potential effectiveness of treatments. And, they argue, people who struggle to get help from an overburdened public health service may simply give up and choose to die, though their conditions might have been improved.

Should a child with an incurable condition be able to choose assisted death?

The ability to consent is a core consideration in requesting assisted death. Only a handful of countries are willing to extend that right to minors. Even in the places that do, there are just a few assisted deaths for children each year, almost always children with cancer.

In Colombia and the Netherlands, children over 12 can request assisted death on their own. Parents can provide consent for children 11 and younger.

The issue is under renewed scrutiny in the Netherlands, where, over the past decade, a growing number of adolescents have applied for assisted death for relief from irremediable psychiatric suffering from conditions such as eating disorders and anxiety.

Most such applications by teens are either withdrawn by the patient, or rejected by assessors, but public concern over a few high-profile cases of teens who received assisted deaths prompted the country’s regulator to consider a moratorium on approvals for children applying on the basis of psychiatric suffering.

Should someone with dementia be allowed assisted death?

Many people dread the idea of losing their cognitive abilities and their autonomy, and hope to have an assisted death when they reach that point. But this is a more complex situation to regulate than for a person who can still make a clear request.

How can a person who is losing their mental capacity consent to dying? Most governments, and doctors, are too uncomfortable to permit it, even though the idea tends to be popular in countries with aging populations.

In Colombia, Spain, Ecuador and the Canadian province of Quebec, people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other kinds of cognitive decline can request assessment for an assisted death before they lose mental capacity, sign an advance request — and then have a physician end their life after they have lost the ability to consent themselves.

But that raises a separate, challenging, question: After people lose the capacity to request an assisted death, who should decide it’s time?

Their spouses? Their children? Their doctors? The government? Colombia entrusts families with this role. The Netherlands leaves it up to doctors — but many refuse to do it, unwilling to administer lethal drugs to a patient who can’t clearly articulate a rational wish to die.

All of these questions are becoming part of the discussion as the right to control and plan one’s own death is pushed in front of reluctant legislatures and uneasy medical professionals.

Dr. Madeline Li, a Toronto psychiatrist, was given the task of developing the assisted-dying practice in one of Canada’s largest hospitals when the procedure was first decriminalized in 2015. She began with assessing patients for eligibility and then moved to providing medical assistance in dying, or MAID, as it is called in Canada. For some patients with terminal cancer, it felt like the best form of care she could offer, she said.

But then Canada’s eligibility criteria expanded, and Dr. Li found herself confronting a different kind of patient.

“To provide assisted dying to somebody dying of a condition who is not happy with how they’re going to die, I’m willing to assist them, and hasten that death,” she said. “I struggle more with people who aren’t dying and want MAID — I think then you’re assisting suicide. If you’re not dying — if I didn’t give you MAID, you wouldn’t otherwise die — then you’re a person who’s not unhappy with how you’re going to die. You’re unhappy with how you’re living.”

Who has broken the taboo?

For decades, Switzerland was the only country to permit assisted death; assisted suicide was legalized there in 1942. It took a further half century for a few more countries to loosen their laws. Now decriminalization of some form of assisted death has occurred across Europe.

But there has recently been a wave of legalization in Latin America, where Colombia was long an outlier, having allowed legal assisted dying since 2015.

Ecuador has decriminalized assisted dying through constitutional court cases, and Peru’s Supreme Court has permitted individual exceptions to the law which prohibits the procedure, opening the door to expansion. Cuba’s national assembly legalized assisted dying in 2023, although no regulations on how the procedure will work are yet in place. In October, Uruguay’s parliament passed a long-debated law allowing assisted death for the terminally ill.

The first country in Asia to take steps toward legalization is South Korea, where a bill to decriminalize assisted death has been proposed at the National Assembly several times but has not come to a vote. At the same time, the Constitutional Court, which for years refused to hear cases on the subject, has agreed to adjudicate a petition from a disabled man with severe and chronic pain who seeks an assisted death.

Access in the United States remains limited: 11 jurisdictions (10 states plus the District of Columbia) allow assisted suicide or physician-assisted death, for patients who have a terminal diagnosis, and in some cases, only for patients who are already in hospice care. It will become legal in Delaware on Jan. 1, 2026.

In Slovenia, in 2024, 55 percent of the population who voted in a national referendum were in favor of legalizing assisted death, and parliament duly passed a law in July. But pushback from right-wing politicians then forced a new referendum, and in late November, 54 percent of those who voted rejected the legalization.

And in the United Kingdom, a bill to legalize assisted death for people with terminal illness has made its way slowly through parliament. It has faced fierce opposition from a coalition of more than 60 groups for people with disabilities, who argue they may face subtle coercion to end their lives rather than drain their families or the state of resources for their care.

Why now?

In many countries, decriminalization of assisted dying has followed the expansion of rights for personal choice in other areas, such as the removal of restrictions on same-sex marriage, abortion and sometimes drug use.

“I would expect it to be on the agenda in every liberal democracy,” said Wayne Sumner, a medical ethicist at the University of Toronto who studies the evolution of norms and regulations around assisted dying. “They’ll come to it at their own speed, but it follows with these other policies.”

The change is also being driven by a convergence of political, demographic and cultural trends.

As populations age, and access to health care improves, more people are living longer. Older populations mean more chronic disease, and more people living with compromised health. And they are thinking about death, and what they will — and won’t — be willing to tolerate in the last years of their lives.

At the same time, there is diminishing tolerance for suffering that is perceived as unnecessary.

“Until very recently, we were a society where few people lived past 60 — and now suddenly we live much longer,” said Lina Paola Lara Negrette, a psychologist who until October was the director of the Dying With Dignity Foundation in Colombia. “Now people here need to think about the system, and the services that are available, and what they will want.”

Changes in family structures and communities, particularly in rapidly urbanizing middle-income countries, mean that traditional networks of care are less strong, which shifts how people can imagine living in older age or with chronic illness, she added.

“When you had many siblings and a lot of generations under one roof, the question of care was a family thing,” she said. “That has changed. And it shapes how we think about living, and dying.”

How does assisted dying work?

Beyond the ethical dilemmas, actually carrying out legalized assisted deaths involves countless choices for countries. Spain requires a waiting period of at least 15 days between a patient’s assessments (but the average wait in practice is 75 days). In most other places, the prescribed wait is less than two weeks for patients with terminal conditions, but often longer in practice, said Katrine Del Villar, a professor of constitutional law at the Queensland University of Technology who tracks trends in assisted dying

Most countries allow patients to choose between administering the drugs themselves or having a health care provider do it. When both options are available, the overwhelming majority of people choose to have a health care provider end their life with an injection that stops their heart.

In many countries only a doctor can administer the drugs, but Canada and New Zealand permit nurse practitioners to provide medically assisted deaths too.

One Australian state prohibits medical professionals from raising the topic of assisted death. A patient must ask about it first.

Who determines eligibility is another issue. In the Netherlands, two physicians assess a patient; in Colombia, it’s a panel consisting of a medical specialist, a psychologist and a lawyer. The draft legislation in Britain would require both a panel and two independent physicians.

Switzerland and the states of Oregon and Vermont are the only jurisdictions in the world that explicitly allow people who are not residents access to assisted deaths.

Most countries permit medical professionals to conscientiously object to providing assisted deaths and allow faith-based medical institutions to refuse to participate. In Canada, individual professionals have the right to refuse, but a court challenge is underway seeking to end the ability of hospitals that are controlled by faith-based organizations and that operate with public funds to refuse to allow assisted deaths on their premises.

“Even when assisted dying has been legal and available somewhere for a long time, there can be a gap between what is legal and what is acceptable — what most physicians and patients and families feel comfortable with,” said Dr. Sisco van Veen, an ethicist and psychiatrist at Amsterdam Medical University. “And this isn’t static. It evolves over time.”

Jin Yu Young in Seoul, José Bautista in Madrid, José María León Cabrera in Quito, Veerle Schyns in Amsterdam and Koba Ryckewaert in Brussels contributed reporting.

A new experimental scalp treatment called clascoterone has shown strong results in helping reduce male-pattern hair loss (also known as androgenetic alopecia, or AGA).

Experts call the results promising, claiming that this could be the first new approach to reversing hair loss in decades.

Conducted by Cosmo Pharmaceuticals in Ireland, the two large, late-stage trials — named Scalp 1 and Scalp 2 — enrolled a combined total of 1,465 men across the U.S. and Europe, according to a press release.

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Participants either used the topical solution or a placebo under randomized conditions. The main measure of success was “target-area hair count” (TAHC), an objective count of hairs in a defined scalp area.

The topical solution works by blocking the action of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) — a hormone that causes genetically sensitive hair follicles to shrink — directly at the follicle receptor rather than affecting hormones system-wide, according to Cosmo Pharmaceuticals.

This localized approach attempts to address the biological root cause of AGA without exposing the body to additional hormones.

In the Scalp 1 group, clascoterone showed a 539% relative improvement in hair count compared with the placebo group. The participants in Scalp 2 showed a 168% relative improvement, the release stated.

“We really don’t have a very effective cream or lotion for hair loss, so this may be valuable for widespread clinical use.”

One study showed “statistical significance” in patient-reported outcomes, while the other showed a “favorable trend,” the release noted. When data from both trials were combined, the improvement was described as “statistically significant” and aligned with the counted-hair results.

“For decades, patients have had to choose between available treatment options with limited efficacy or safety issues due to systemic hormonal exposure, often resulting in patients not treating their hair loss at all,” Maria Hordinsky, M.D., from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Dermatology, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

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“These findings show the potential for clascoterone 5% topical solution to change that equation by delivering real, measurable regrowth with negligible systemic exposure,” added Hordinsky.

Patient-reported outcomes — how study participants perceived their hair growth — were also positive.

“I think this is promising,” Marc Siegel, M.D., senior medical analyst for Fox News, told Fox News Digital. “We really don’t have a very effective cream or lotion for hair loss,” added the doctor, who was not involved in the study.

Minoxidil lotion, one of the most widely used, FDA-approved topical treatments, generally has limited effectiveness, Siegel noted. “So, this may well be valuable for widespread clinical use.”

Potential limitations and risks

Siegel, who was not involved in the trials, referenced the study’s claim that the only side effect was “local irritation,” and said the medication appeared to be generally safe.

Safety and tolerance of the drug appeared to be comparable to the placebo group. Side effects were minimal and occurred at similar rates in both the active and placebo groups, with most found to be unrelated to the drug, according to the researchers.

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The researchers noted that the improvement in the study participants was in comparison to the placebo group in the study — it doesn’t guarantee that men will grow five times more hair than with other treatments.

Each individual’s results depend on how much hair they had at the start, and without the full data, it’s unclear how much visible growth most men will achieve.

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“You do need to watch out for allergic reactions, and in rare cases, adrenal insufficiency, since the cream is an anti-androgen,” Siegel cautioned. This means because this treatment blocks androgens (male hormones), it could slightly affect the adrenal glands, which help the body manage stress hormones.

Also, these are top-line results, as more detailed data — including long-term durability, variation between different degrees of hair loss and extended safety over 12 months — have yet to be released.

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If approved, this would be the first scalp treatment that works by blocking DHT right at the hair follicle — the first of its kind made specifically for male hair loss, the company says.

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Cosmo plans to complete a full 12-month safety follow-up by spring 2026 before submitting the medication for regulatory approval in the U.S. and Europe.

Men account for higher rates of nearly all major chronic diseases — yet nearly two-thirds admit that they avoid going to the doctor for as long as possible, according to a Cleveland Clinic survey.

Physicians warn that once men enter their 40s, routine screenings become essential for spotting problems early, before preventable conditions turn life-threatening.

“When it comes to preventing heart attacks, strokes, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, metabolic disease and early aging, testing is essential,” Dr. Jack Wolfson, a cardiologist in Arizona, told Fox News Digital. “Most men have no idea what’s happening inside their bodies until it’s too late.”

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“If I could give one message to every man over 40: Test, don’t guess,” he went on. “Catch the problem early, fix it naturally, and live to 100 and beyond with vitality.”

Below, experts share some of the most important medical tests that men over 40 should discuss with their doctors — some of which are universally recommended, and others that apply to certain groups.

1. Complete blood count (CBC)

Dr. Andrea Caamano, M.D., a New Jersey physician specializing in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, recommends that this blood test is performed yearly for men in their 40s and older.

“It tells us the state of a patient’s red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, and tells of infection, allergic reactions, inflammation, anemia and clotting disorders,” she told Fox News Digital.

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The CBC is especially important in men undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), as testosterone stimulates the production of red blood cells — and an overproduction will raise the risk of clots and high blood pressure, according to the doctor.

“The test’s only limitation is that it does not tell us why something is happening,” Caamano said. “It will give us values, but not a reason when they are outside normal limits.”

“If I could give one message to every man over 40: Test, don’t guess.”

Health agencies such as the CDC, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and World Health Organization do not recommend a CBC test for every person without symptoms, but they do recommend it for people experiencing symptoms like anemia, infection, inflammation, fatigue, bleeding or bruising, or for those with a known medical condition.

2. Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)

This blood test is commonly performed yearly, according to Caamano, especially for men using TRT.

“This blood test measures metabolic and organ function, giving information about the kidneys and liver, and electrolyte and glucose state,” she said. “It is important to catch any organ issue that can pop up on its own, or that can be age- or medication-induced.”

The test can also catch things like liver and kidney disease, pre-diabetes, full-blown diabetes and electrolyte imbalances that can lead to blood pressure fluctuations and heart rhythm issues, according to the doctor.

Caamano recommends that men using TRT get a baseline CMP, then get monitored every three to six months in the first year of treatment and then yearly. Organizations like the USPSTF, CDC and WHO, however, only recommend CMPs when evaluating symptoms, monitoring chronic conditions or checking medication safety.

3. Blood pressure

The CDC and USPSTF recommend that all adults 18 and over should undergo routine blood pressure screening. High blood pressure is defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher.

Individuals aged 40 and older — or those with elevated risk — are advised to be tested every year, while younger adults with consistently normal results may be screened every three to five years.

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“The use of TRT can increase blood pressure, so it is very important to monitor regularly,” Caamano said. “Increased blood pressure can be indicative of cardiovascular disease.”

4. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score

Dr. Auda Auda, a board-certified physician at Baker Health in New York, names this as his top recommendation to protect against heart disease, which remains the No. 1 cause of death in men over 40.

“A CAC scan directly measures calcified plaque in the coronary arteries, years before symptoms develop,” Auda told Fox News Digital. “For many men, it’s the difference between ‘normal annual labs’ and a silent, high-risk cardiovascular picture that would otherwise go unnoticed.”

A high CAC score identifies early coronary atherosclerosis, leading to targeted lifestyle changes, statins and risk modification to help prevent heart attack and stroke, the doctor noted.

The test should be done every five years if the score is 0, or every one to two years if the score is >0, Auda advised.

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“I’ve had multiple men in their 40s with ‘perfect’ cholesterol come back with CAC scores in the 200-400 range, completely changing their trajectory,” he shared.

Major health agencies, such as the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA) and USPSTF, recommend CAC scoring for adults who are at intermediate risk of heart disease or when it’s unclear whether they should start statin therapy.

5. Advanced lipid profile

Dr. Jeremy M. Liff, a board-certified neurologist in New York, puts this test at the top of his list.

“Unlike a standard cholesterol panel, which only gives you HDL (‘good’ cholesterol) and LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol), the advanced version breaks down the specific types of LDL particles,” Liff told Fox News Digital. “Some LDL particles are far more dangerous than others.”

“Insulin resistance influences nearly every major organ, including the liver and the brain.”

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The advanced lipid profile helps to prevent “catastrophic” cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, according to the doctor.

“This test gives men over 40 a much clearer picture of their cardiovascular risk and whether they need major dietary or lifestyle changes,” he said. “By identifying dangerous LDL particle types early, men can intervene before plaque buildup becomes life-threatening.”

The advanced lipid profile may only need to be done once if the baseline looks excellent, according to the doctor. If results are poor, men should repeat the test every six months under their doctor’s guidance, he advised.

Major health organizations — including the ACC, AHA, Endocrine Society and USPSTF — regard advanced lipid profiles as optional decision-support tools rather than standard screening tests. 

6. Thyroid function

This blood test can be done yearly to evaluate how well your thyroid gland is functioning, according to Caamano.

“Issues with thyroid function can lead to mood changes, fatigue, weight changes, palpitations and hair loss,” she told Fox News Digital.

The thyroid is often checked when men have symptoms such as fatigue, weight changes, palpitations or hair loss, while some physicians also order it periodically in midlife.

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The test measures levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which is made by the pituitary gland and tells the thyroid how much hormone to produce. It also measures levels of free T4 (the main hormone the thyroid releases) and free T3 (the active form that the body converts T4 into).

Based on these three levels, a doctor can determine whether the thyroid is underactive or overactive.

Major health agencies, such as the USPSTF, American Thyroid Association (ATA) and American College of Physicians, recommend this test for people who are at higher risk of thyroid disease, are experiencing symptoms or have autoimmune conditions.

7. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)

A PSA blood test measures the level of prostate-specific antigen, a protein produced by both normal and cancerous cells of the prostate gland.

This test, sometimes along with a digital rectal exam, is used to screen for cancer or enlargement of the prostate, according to Caamano. 

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The USPSTF, American Urological Association (AUA) and American Cancer Society (ACS) recommend “shared decision-making” for men aged 55 to 69, warning of the risks of false positives, overdiagnosis and overtreatment with the PSA test.

8. Insulin sensitivity test

Some clinicians use additional markers of insulin sensitivity when taking a more proactive approach to metabolic health. These measures can provide insights that go beyond standard tests such as fasting glucose and HbA1c, which reflects average blood glucose over the past two to three months.

“Insulin resistance influences nearly every major organ, including the liver and the brain,” Liff told Fox News Digital. “It plays a major role in metabolic health, long-term inflammation and future disease risk.”

Poor insulin sensitivity is closely tied to fatty liver disease, cognitive decline and vascular problems, according to the doctor. 

“Detecting it early allows men to make changes that protect long-term organ health, including the brain,” Liff said. “Depending on the initial findings, a repeat every six months may be appropriate.”

Major health agencies, such as the ADA (American Diabetes Association), USPSTF, CDC and WHO, generally recommend screening for diabetes and prediabetes using fasting glucose, HbA1c or a standard oral glucose tolerance test.

9. Hormone levels 

Caamano recommends that certain men over 40 get tested for hormones, including total testosterone, free testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol, which can be measured in a blood draw. 

“These are done when men are having symptoms such as low libido, fatigue, breast enlargement or when they are using TRT,” she told Fox News Digital. 

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Consistency is key in hormonal testing, according to the doctor. “Testosterone should be measured in the morning, as it follows a pattern, peaking in the morning hours,” Caamano said. “Hormonal blood levels, along with symptoms, help determine the need for TRT.”

The Endocrine Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), USPSTF and the American Urological Association only recommend hormone tests when there are clear symptoms or medical indications.

10. Omega-3 index

Cardiologist Wolfson, who is also founder of Natural Heart Doctor, a holistic cardiology practice, calls this test “the most powerful predictor of heart attack and sudden death risk” — though it’s not yet part of standard screening guidelines for everyone.

Low omega-3 levels, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are associated with a range of medical conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, poor cognition, mood disorders and more, studies have shown.

“The omega-3 index is a direct measurement of omega-3 levels inside red blood cells, making it far more meaningful than a standard blood omega-3 test,” Wolfson told Fox News Digital.

He recommends that men 40 and older get the test once per year — “or every six months if supplementing and optimizing.”

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However, major health agencies like the AHA and the National Institutes of Health do not recommend routine omega-3 index testing for the general population, as the test is mainly used for patients with cardiovascular disease who are already considering omega-3 supplementation. 

11. Carotid artery ultrasound

Narrowing of the carotid arteries reduces blood flow to the brain and increases the risk of stroke, according to Liff. The carotid artery ultrasound can reveal problems long before symptoms appear, potentially protecting brain health.

It may be considered in some high-risk men or when a doctor suspects carotid disease.

“Reduced blood flow from plaque buildup can trigger strokes or transient ischemic attacks,” Liff told Fox News Digital. “Catching the narrowing early allows for treatment, lifestyle changes or close monitoring before a serious event occurs.”

If there is no evidence of disease, Liff recommends repeating the test every few years. “If narrowing is detected, a specialist should follow the patient more closely,” he advised.

The USPSTF, AHA, American Stroke Association (ASA) and ACC only recommend the carotid artery ultrasound when there are neurological symptoms or high clinical suspicion of carotid disease based on medical history.

12. Colon cancer screening

The USPSTF, ACS and CDC now recommend screening average-risk adults for colon cancer from the ages of 45 to 75. 

Men with a family history of colorectal cancer should begin screenings at 40, Caamano noted. Those with a low risk level should begin screenings at 45, via colonoscopy or an at-home stool test. 

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“A colonoscopy should be done every 10 years unless polyps are found, which then drops the time to every three to five years — or for those with a family history of colorectal cancer, every five years,” she told Fox News Digital. “This screening is super important, as early detection can be lifesaving.”

13. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a blood test that detects low levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the body.

Wolfson refers to this test as the “inflammation alarm bell. “Chronic inflammation is a major driver of heart disease, strokes, cancer, dementia, diabetes and accelerated aging,” he told Fox News Digital, calling “hs-CRP ‘the single best early warning sign.’”

The test helps to detect silent cardiovascular inflammation, early artery damage, hidden infections and inflammatory lifestyle triggers, such as poor sleep, stress, alcohol and toxins, Wolfson noted.

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He recommends that men in their 40s and older get the test every six months, or more frequently if levels are elevated or if symptoms are present. Per major health agencies, however, there is insufficient evidence that hs-CRP should be routinely performed unless someone experiences symptoms or is at intermediate cardiovascular risk.

14. Vitamin D

Dubbed the “sunshine hormone,” vitamin D is known to predict health span, according to Wolfson.

Low levels are linked to heart disease, cancer, autoimmune conditions, high blood pressure, depression, low testosterone, poor immune resilience and early aging, according to the doctor.

“It is one of the strongest indicators of lifestyle quality, including sun exposure, sleep habits, metabolic health and inflammation,” he told Fox News Digital. “Levels may be low in men who avoid the sun or overuse sunscreen.”

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Wolfson recommends vitamin D testing twice per year, ideally in the winter and summer, to capture seasonal changes. 

While many doctors will check vitamin D in midlife, especially if someone has risk factors or related conditions, major health agencies only recommend screenings for people who have symptoms of deficiency or are at higher risk due to medical conditions or certain medications.

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Anyone seeking more information about these or other health screenings should contact a doctor for individual recommendations.