Function Health vs. Protocol: Testing vs. Action
Function Health vs. Protocol: Testing vs. Action
Function Health brought something important to the market: affordable, comprehensive biomarker testing for consumers. For $499/year, you get 100+ biomarkers tested twice a year, including ApoB, fasting insulin, vitamin D, and dozens of markers that most annual physicals skip.
That’s genuinely valuable. For many Protocol members, Function Health was the first time anyone tested their ApoB. It’s how they found out their number was elevated. It’s what brought them to us.
This post isn’t about why Function Health is bad. It’s about where the testing-only model stops, and what happens after.
What Function Health does well
Credit where it’s earned. Function Health solved a real problem.
Before Function Health, getting a comprehensive biomarker panel meant finding a forward-thinking doctor (rare), ordering direct-to-consumer labs piecemeal (confusing, expensive), or paying $2,000+ for an executive physical. There wasn’t a good middle option.
Function Health created one. A single order, one blood draw, 100+ markers, a dashboard with your results, twice a year. The panel includes markers that most primary care doctors don’t test, like ApoB, Lp(a), fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, full thyroid panel, vitamin D, and omega-3 index.
At $499/year, comprehensive testing became accessible. The dashboard made results legible. Health-conscious consumers could finally see their full biomarker picture without navigating the medical system.
Where the testing-only model stops
Function Health gives you numbers. It does not give you a plan.
That’s not a criticism of their execution. It’s an inherent limitation of the model. Function Health is a testing company. They draw your blood, run the panels, and present results on a dashboard with reference ranges and AI-generated explanations.
Here’s what falls outside that model:
No risk stratification. Your ApoB comes back at 115. Is that a problem? That depends on your Lp(a), family history, inflammatory markers, and imaging results. Function Health shows you the number with a color code. It doesn’t tell you whether 115 means “moderate concern” or “start medication now.”
No clinical interpretation by a physician. The dashboard explains what each biomarker is, but it doesn’t connect the dots between your ApoB, your fasting insulin, your ApoE genotype, and your family history. Numbers without that context are data, not insight.
No action plan. You know your ApoB is elevated. Now what? Function Health can’t prescribe medication, design a dietary protocol matched to your genotype, or tell you whether to start with lifestyle changes or go straight to a statin. There’s no dietitian reviewing your nutrient deficiencies. No health coach following up.
No follow-through. You get tested in January. Results in February. Next test in July. What happened in the five months between? If your ApoB didn’t budge, why not? Nobody checks. Nobody adjusts. The next touchpoint is your next blood draw.
No coached behavior change. Knowing your fasting insulin is high doesn’t make it lower. Knowing your vitamin D is at 28 doesn’t fix it. Behavior change requires a plan, someone to hold you to it, and a recheck to confirm the intervention actually worked.
What Protocol does differently
If Function Health is the blood panel with a dashboard, Protocol is the clinical team that reads the results, tells you what matters, and builds the plan.
Protocol’s Foundation Assessment ($1,500) includes much of the same testing Function Health offers: ApoB, Lp(a), fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, full nutrient panel. It also includes DEXA body composition and wearable setup, which Function Health doesn’t.
The testing is the starting point. Here’s what comes after:
- Physician interpretation. A physician reviews your full results in a 45-minute session (The Reveal). They explain each number, draw connections between markers, and identify what to prioritize.
- Risk stratification. If your ApoB is elevated, you’re assigned a risk tier (A through D) based on your full cardiovascular picture. Your target is specific to you, not a generic threshold.
- A specific plan. Each protocol delivers a protocolized intervention. That might mean dietary changes matched to your ApoE genotype, an exercise prescription, a targeted supplement protocol, pharmacotherapy, or some combination. It depends on your numbers.
- Sessions that actually happen. Dedicated time with health coaches, registered dietitians, and NPs with MD oversight. Humans who know your data.
- Rechecks. Every intervention gets verified. ApoB rechecked at 12 weeks. Nutrients rechecked at 8-12 weeks. If the numbers didn’t move, we adjust. If they did, we move to the next priority.
The cost difference is real
Protocol costs more. Much more.
Function Health: $499/year for testing. Protocol: $1,500 for the Foundation Assessment. $695/month for ongoing membership with protocols.
These aren’t comparable products. Function Health is a testing service. Protocol is a health optimization practice with physicians, coaches, dietitians, and ongoing care. The price difference reflects the gap between receiving data and receiving a clinical team.
So the question isn’t which costs less. It’s what you actually need right now. If you want numbers, Function Health delivers them at a good price. If you want someone to interpret those numbers, build a plan, coach you through it, and verify it worked, that requires a different kind of service entirely.
They work together for some people
Some Protocol members use both. They keep Function Health for its twice-yearly 100+ biomarker panel, which is broader and cheaper for ongoing monitoring, and use Protocol for interpretation, risk stratification, coaching, and follow-through.
This combination makes sense. Function Health’s testing breadth is genuinely useful for tracking trends over time. Protocol’s clinical team adds the interpretation and action layer that Function Health’s model was never designed to include. If you want comprehensive data and a team to act on it, running both is a reasonable approach.
How to decide
Function Health makes sense if you want comprehensive biomarker testing at a low price, you already have a physician who can interpret the results, you’re comfortable researching interventions on your own, and you’re mostly interested in monitoring rather than active optimization.
Protocol makes sense if you’ve gotten test results (from Function Health or elsewhere) and don’t know what to do with them. Or you want a physician who will interpret your results in the context of your full risk picture, build a plan with specific targets and timelines, and then verify that the plan actually worked.
The gap between “normal” and optimal doesn’t close itself once you see the numbers. It closes when someone acts on what the tests reveal. Function Health gives you the tests. Protocol gives you the action.
Book a Discovery Call
If you have Function Health results (or any recent blood work) and want to know what to do with them, bring them to a discovery call. It’s 15 minutes, no commitment. We’ll tell you what stands out and whether Protocol’s approach fits your situation.