Frequently asked questions

From a few drops of blood from your fingertip, the Nightingale Health laboratory measures a broad panel of substances at once, using a technique called NMR metabolomics. From that profile we calculate your metabolic age, a metabolic resilience score and your risk of five common conditions. You also see around 25 individual blood values, such as cholesterol, inflammation and blood sugar.

Your metabolic age is the age that matches the state of your metabolism, calculated from your blood profile and compared with a very large group of people from central biobanks. It can be lower or higher than your calendar age. Lower means your body is in better shape than average for your age; higher means there is probably health to be gained.

No. The test gives insight into your health and your risks, and the lifestyle doctor translates that into what you can do yourself. It is not a diagnosis and not a substitute for a visit to your GP (general practitioner) or specialist. If we see something that needs medical attention, we will tell you and advise you to see your GP.

For adults who want to know how things are on the inside and want to work on their health in a targeted way. Employers and healthcare professionals can also use this test to support the vitality and health of their employees.

The finger-prick is not suitable for everyone. You may not be able to take part if you are under 18, pregnant, have had a blood transfusion or surgery in the past three months, or have a fever or an infection at the time of sample collection. If you use blood thinners or have a clotting disorder, we consult with you first. Not sure? Mention it in the intake and the doctor will look at it with you.

€290 incl. VAT. This includes the digital intake, the blood test with analysis, the report with your results and the personal consultation with the lifestyle doctor, with a report of the interpretation and recommendations.

Via iDEAL or Wero on our own order page. You pay before the intake. If the intake shows that sample collection is not possible for you, you get your money back.

Vitahealth does not bill health insurers; the test is not covered by basic health insurance. Some employers reimburse the test as part of their vitality policy. And in the future the test may be reimbursable from the vitality budget of supplementary insurance. Ask your employer or contact us.

Right away. Order the test via I want a test; after your payment you fill in the digital intake straight away. If the doctor approves your intake, we send the kit to you. If all places are taken at that moment, you can put yourself on the waiting list and we will let you know as soon as a place becomes available.

Yes, within the statutory 14-day cooling-off period, as long as the seal of the test kit is intact. Email us at support@vitahealth.nl. The full arrangement is set out in our terms and conditions.

You receive a kit at home with an instruction leaflet, a lancet and a collection card. You prick the side of your fingertip and fill the small tubes with a few drops of blood. You then close the kit with the red cap, pack it and hand it in at a drop-off point the same day. Have the package scanned at the drop-off point. Taking the sample takes about fifteen minutes in total.

See the instructions with video.

Yes. Preferably take the sample in the morning before breakfast: nothing to eat for at least 3 hours and no coffee or tea. Drinking water is allowed and even helps. If you have eaten or had coffee after all, do not take the sample and wait until the next morning.

Did you get too little blood, or did something go wrong with the kit? Contact us. If a sample is unusable because the instructions were not followed, we may charge reasonable costs for this; we always agree this with you in advance.

After we have received your blood sample, it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to analyze your blood and prepare your report. We then schedule the consultation with the lifestyle doctor. You will be notified as soon as your results are available.

You receive a report via secure email and discuss it in a personal consultation with the lifestyle doctor. You get an explanation of your profile, the main points of attention and a number of concrete recommendations to start with.

A one-page overview with your calendar age and metabolic age, your metabolic resilience score, the points of attention from your lifestyle questionnaire and your blood values, and the recommendations of the (lifestyle) doctor. This is followed by the explanation in plain language and two appendices: your questionnaire and all your biomarkers with the optimal values.

Yes. The report is yours; you can share it with whoever you want. We do not share anything with your GP (general practitioner) or others without your consent.

Biomarkers respond to lifestyle, so a repeat measurement shows what your changes deliver. Usually this is useful after 6 to 12 months, depending on your goals. You discuss this with the lifestyle doctor.

Only the Vitahealth medical team handling your file, and the staff needed for logistics (they do not see results). The laboratory receives your sample with a code, without your name. We do not sell data and do not share anything with insurers or employers. Because we work closely with the scientific community, we do find it valuable that research can be done with the data we collect. During the intake we ask for your separate consent for this. Only if you give it is your data used for research, and then always pseudonymized: your name and personal details are never shared.

On servers in the European Union. We store your personal details (name, address, email) strongly encrypted and separately from your medical data. The laboratory that performs the analyses is located in Finland, within the European Economic Area.

Yes, but for now only to a very limited extent. At the moment we use AI only to convert the doctor's recommendations into plain language. The AI never sees your name or contact details, and the doctor always reviews the result.

We keep your health and test data for 24 months after your participation ends, unless a statutory retention obligation requires a longer period. We keep invoices for 7 years. You can always request access or deletion. See our privacy statement.

Your blood values and your personal details are sensitive. That is why we built the platform from the start so that this data is protected as well as possible. This is what we have done:

Your name is kept separate from your medical data. We store your name, address, date of birth and email address encrypted in a separate, shielded vault. Your results and questionnaires are kept apart from that, under a code. So whoever sees the results does not automatically see who you are. Only the doctor handling your file can link the two.

The laboratory does not know your name. Your blood sample goes to the laboratory with a code, not with your name.

Everything stays in Europe. Our servers and database are located in the Netherlands and the European Union. We do not use parties that store your data outside Europe.

Only those who need access have it. Every staff member only has access to what belongs to his or her role. Your lifestyle doctor only sees the files assigned to him or her. Staff who handle shipping do not see results. All staff log in with an extra security step (two-step verification).

We keep track of who does what. Every time someone views or changes a file, this is recorded in a log. This way we can always trace who had access and when.

Your results arrive via secure email. We do not send your report as ordinary email, but via a secure email service that meets the standard for medical communication (NTA 7516).

No password that can be stolen. As a client you do not log in with a password. We give you a personal, one-time link that only you have.

AI without your name. The AI that helps the doctor write recommendations in plain language never sees your name or contact details, runs on servers in Europe, stores nothing and does not learn from your data. The doctor reviews every recommendation before you receive it.

Secure servers and encrypted connections. Our servers are shielded by a firewall and receive automatic security updates. All connections are encrypted and the database is stored encrypted.

Agreements with all parties. We have concluded data processing agreements with the companies that help us, such as the hosting provider, the email service and the AI supplier. These set out exactly what they may and may not do with data.

Your data is not kept indefinitely. After your program is completed we keep your health data for 24 months; after that it is erased. You can also request deletion earlier. Only the invoice is kept, because the Dutch tax authorities require it.

We keep checking. We have had our own code and database audited and have resolved the points found. We have a fixed rhythm for maintenance, access checks and key renewal, and a contingency plan in case something goes wrong after all.

Want to know more, or access or delete your data? Email support@vitahealth.nl. See also our privacy statement.

Vitahealth BV is a Dutch company from Klarenbeek (Chamber of Commerce (KVK) 42133916), founded by a lifestyle doctor, a pharmacist-entrepreneur and a data entrepreneur, in collaboration with Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). The scientific basis was developed in collaboration with Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Meet the team.

Researchers at the LUMC co-developed the metabolic score and validated it on data from hundreds of thousands of participants in population studies. The LUMC is also involved in the medical expert team that reviews our working method. Read more on the Science page.

Vitahealth grew out of LUMC research into healthy aging, and we continue to contribute to it. The test only gets better if we learn from what we see in practice: how stable are the scores in different groups of people, and what does a change in lifestyle deliver in the blood? Such knowledge ultimately comes back to you, in better interpretation and better advice.

We do this research together with the LUMC researchers who developed the biomarkers. Our scientific committee, chaired by Prof. Dr. Eline Slagboom, professor of Molecular Epidemiology at the LUMC, safeguards the scientific quality: what we measure, how we interpret it and which conclusions we do and do not draw.

Your data never simply goes to research. That only happens if you give separate consent for it during the intake, and then always pseudonymized: without your name, address or other details by which you can be identified. If you do not give that consent, you simply take part and nothing changes about your test or guidance. You can withdraw consent you have given at any time via support@vitahealth.nl.

Yes. The Nightingale Health blood collection kit is a CE-marked in-vitro diagnostic device and the laboratory works according to international quality standards. Vitahealth follows the obligations that apply to supplying such kits, such as controlled storage and complaint registration.