Amylase

What Does This Test Check?

Amylase is a digestive enzyme made by the pancreas and salivary glands that breaks down starch. It is the classic first blood marker for pancreas irritation.

Lola Health lists this as an add-on biomarker at £12, posted as a home sample with results in one to four working days. It cannot be bought on its own: you pick it while ordering one of Lola's main blood tests, so it suits someone who already knows which extra marker they want.

A raised level may indicate a pancreatic problem, but values rise and fall quickly after symptoms start, so a single reading can miss the peak. Whatever the reading, an out-of-range result needs a doctor who can see the whole picture, so go through it with your GP before acting on it.