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A 'wonder' test that claims to detect 250 signs of disease of cancer, heart disease and viruses has been launched in Britain.
The Biophysical 250 blood test, which costs £2,200, scans for cholesterol, vitamin deficiency, heart attack risk, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
A simple blood test will show up signs of diseaseSuch checks are popular in the U.S., where TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey took it and found she was in good health, but experts here believe they might lead to hypochondria and put the NHS under even greater strain from the so-called "worried well".
The Brompton Cross Clinic in South Kensington, West London, is the first to offer the test.
Dr Amber Kennard, managing director of the clinic, said: "This is the most comprehensive one-stop health check you can get.
"We are trying to catch people before the disasters happen so we can draw up an action plan to avoid or minimise the risk.
Two tablespoons of blood will be taken from each patient and sent to Texas, where 250 proteins in the bloodstream known as biomarkers are scanned.
However, experts have poured scorn on such tests, saying they are next to useless because the indicators they test for are not always reliable. Often they show up risks when there are none - or, even more worryingly, give people the all clear for conditions to which they later fall victim.
Yesterday Dr Jonathan Howell, a consultant in public health, said: "Testing so many biomarkers is going to throw up some kind of irregularity and you never know if they will become a major problem."
The test, called Biophysical 250, was invented in the U.S.
Results from it, with each indicator marked with red for alert, yellow for caution and green for low risk, are sent back to doctors and an action plan is then drawn up for the patient.
Dr Tim Gant, senior scientist with the Medical Research Council, said: "This could be useful as it draws together all the standard checks into one super-test.
As well as blood tests, some firms offer health MOT scans. But this week senior doctors warned that scans were of "dubious benefit" and may even cause harm.
Commercial screening tests miss most cases of disease and expose patients to radiation levels that could increase cancer risk, wrote doctors in the British Medical Journal.
Yet the "worried well" are boosting company profits by paying anything from £250 to £1,300 for scans that promise to detect heart disease and cancer.
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