Jelly Roll is having the best year of his career. Three Grammy wins in February 2026, a Men’s Health documentary and a cover story that chronicles his 275-pound transformation. But what stopped fans wasn’t the weight loss photos. It was what he revealed about what was happening inside his body before any of it started.
When Jelly Roll first sat down with the wellness clinic Ways2Well, his blood panel painted a picture that shocked even his medical team. His insulin was “super high.” His testosterone registered at 57, a level he described as equivalent to a preteen boy’s. His cholesterol was elevated and his A1C, which measures average blood sugar over two to three months, was dangerously high. He was put on medication for Type 2 diabetes and started testosterone replacement therapy.
“The first couple of blood panels were like, how are you alive?” he told Men’s Health.
But the part of his story worth paying attention to isn’t the shock factor. It’s the mindset shift. “The main goal wasn’t to lose weight,” he said. “It was wanting to know what’s happening within me.”
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What Standard Bloodwork Often Misses and Why Jelly Roll’s Was Comprehensive
Jelly Roll’s clinic didn’t just run the basics. Ways2Well founder Brigham Buhler described their approach to Men’s Health: “If you have high blood pressure, you’re going to be given high blood pressure medication, right? Why is your blood pressure high? You have to peel back the layers and figure out what’s causing it.”
That layered approach uncovered that excessive insulin was forcing Jelly Roll’s body to store fat, a metabolic issue that standard bloodwork might never have flagged. Most annual physicals include a CBC (complete blood count) and CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel), which cover blood cell health, kidney and liver function, electrolytes and a single glucose reading. Those are valuable, but they don’t always catch what’s building beneath the surface.
The Bloodwork Tests Similar to Jelly Roll’s That Are Worth Asking For
Each of Jelly Roll’s alarming markers connects to something your own doctor can check.
A1C captures your average blood sugar over 2-3 months rather than a single moment. Below 5.7% is normal, 5.7-6.4% is prediabetes and 6.5%+ indicates diabetes. The CDC recommends everyone over 45 get a baseline, and the 2026 ADA Standards of Care updated screening guidance in January.
Fasting insulin isn’t part of standard panels but can flag insulin resistance years before A1C becomes abnormal. This is exactly what caught Jelly Roll’s metabolic issues early.
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Testosterone ranges from roughly 300-1,000 ng/dL in adult men and 15-70 ng/dL in women. Jelly Roll’s was 57. While the conversation around low T tends to focus on men, women need it too. Low testosterone in women can contribute to fatigue, reduced muscle mass, low libido and difficulty maintaining bone density, especially during and after menopause. Regardless of gender, it’s never included automatically in standard bloodwork and must be specifically requested.
Lipid panel measures your HDL, LDL and triglycerides. A baseline between ages 35-40 is recommended unless family history suggests earlier screening.
Thyroid (TSH) is another commonly overlooked test. Thyroid disorders affect roughly 1 in 10 women, and about 60% of those affected don’t know it.
What You Can Do at Your Next Appointment
Don’t just accept “everything looks normal” without asking which specific tests were actually run. Standard panels may skip A1C, fasting insulin, testosterone and thyroid entirely.
Write down your family history of diabetes, heart disease and obesity before your visit. This can qualify you for additional testing that insurance is more likely to cover. If something comes back borderline, ask about retesting in three to six months rather than waiting a full year.
If you want specific panels without a doctor’s order, Labcorp and Quest both offer direct-to-consumer testing, though insurance typically won’t cover those.
Jelly Roll didn’t hide from his numbers. At the peak of his career, he chose to look inward first. That decision likely saved his life, and the same curiosity about what’s happening inside your own body is available to anyone willing to ask the right questions at their next appointment.
