International Youth Day 2025 — Essential Wellness Tests Every 20-Something Must Know

{By: Dr Ramesh Menon}

The 20s – often considered the most vibrant years of one's youth, filled with energy and endless possibilities. This is the age at which the body is producing the various hormones at peak levels. However, unhealthy lifestyle, career-related stress, emotional strain, and lack of healthy routines are often common during this period. 

This makes it a crucial time for addressing health risks early, enabling you to take necessary steps towards building a healthier future. When you are feeling strong and resilient, you tend to overlook the need for wellness checks and not consider health as a priority. But proactive health screening can help detect a lot of hidden issues before they become major concerns.

Even in people with a high risk for developing serious health conditions later in life, 20s often appear symptom-free. However, the absence of symptoms does not guarantee immunity from future illness. In order to understand the risk to your health, a comprehensive genetic analysis can uncover predispositions to many common hereditary diseases, making early screening especially important for those with a family history. Young adulthood is the ideal time for preventive wellness, when early insights can lead to long-term health outcomes.

This International Youth Day, here are five wellness genetic tests that every young adult should consider in their 20s. 

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Screening For Common Diseases

As the disease onset of conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease is not high in their 20s, routine clinical investigations may not give the full picture for a majority of people. Many of these diseases have a genetic link in addition to other factors. This means that based on their genetic make-up, some people have a higher risk of being affected, and their health condition is only further aggravated by their lifestyle choices.  It is, therefore, suggested that young individuals, especially those with a strong family history, should get a one-time genetic risk assessment done. Genetic tests calculate an individual’s risk using the Polygenic Risk Score (PRS), enabling them to take necessary measures and make effective changes in their lifestyle to significantly delay the onset. 

Cancer Risk Screening

Cancer screenings aren’t part of standard care in the 20s unless symptoms or family history call for it. However, if a parent, sibling, or close family member has had cancer early in life, you too may be genetically at a higher risk of developing it. A genetic test can identify mutations in cancer-related genes that may indicate an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer in the future.

Carrier Screening  

Many people are silent carriers of genetic conditions like thalassemia, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), or cystic fibrosis. Young individuals, especially those who are planning to start a family, must consider a carrier screening test. This is a crucial part of reproductive planning that often goes unnoticed. While carriers show no symptoms, if both partners are carriers of the same condition, there’s a higher risk of passing it on to their offspring. Certain Middle Eastern countries with a high burden of genetic diseases have implemented this test as a mandatory genetic screening for all couples planning to marry.

Alongside genetic screening, incorporating routine pathology tests is equally important, as they help identify infections, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and assess overall organ health. For many, young adulthood is a period marked with stress, whether from the pressures of building a career, pursuing ambitious goals, or navigating personal and emotional challenges. This makes it an ideal stage to embrace a healthy lifestyle and adopt practices such as yoga and meditation, which can go a long way in preventing unexpected health issues and fostering long-term physical and mental well-being.

Health in your 20s doesn’t have to mean constant testing or medical anxiety. Instead, it's about building awareness – understanding your body, recognizing what’s working for you, and paying attention to changes. Being aware of your risks and taking those small yet crucial steps, like regular checkups, simple screenings, or lifestyle adjustments, can make a big difference, helping avoid bigger issues later. Investing in your health now isn’t about fear; it’s about empowerment. The choices you make today will shape a healthier, stronger, and more confident version of you tomorrow.

The author, Dr Ramesh Menon, is the Director, Personal Genomics and Genomic Medicine, at MedGenome.

[Disclaimer: The information provided in the article, including treatment suggestions shared by doctors, is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.]

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