Cholesterol, Heart Attack Risk and Lab Results
What are we dealing with here?
For years traditional medicine has been dealing with these common medical complications as separate entities and for good reason. Treating each condition seemed to reduce the patient's risk of more complications in the future.
With our limited understanding, we knew treating elevated blood pressure resulted in fewer strokes and heart attacks and lowering a person's blood sugar to "normal" levels also resulted in less heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. Additionally, lowering a persons LDL cholesterol (the 'bad cholesterol') is thought to reduce the risk of future or recurrent heart attacks and strokes.
Obviously, preventing future medical complications is a laudable goal but is the use of more and more prescription medications always necessary?
We are now at a moment when a unifying theory of sorts is beginning to unfold that helps us understand the commonality of all 3 of theses medical conditions, not to mention a few others. Accumulating research is beginning to suggest that these 3 common disorders come from a common underlying metabolic abnormality known as Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome.
Did you know that these controllable risk factors listed below affect your risk of heart disease, stroke and metabolic syndrome?
* smoking
* high blood pressure
* high blood cholesterol
* diabetes
* being overweight or obese
* physical inactivity
It’s essential that you measure your risk of heart disease and make a plan for how to prevent it in the near future.
Use this tool to help you assess your risk of having a heart attack or dying from coronary heart disease in the next 10 years. It will also check to see if you may have metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that greatly increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes.
This Risk Assessment can be use by people age 20 or older who do not already have heart disease or diabetes.
Learn How to Interpret Your Cholesterol and Triglyceride Lab Test Results
Triglycerides
Healthy Range = Less than 150.
Triglycerides are fats composed of fatty acids and glycerol. Triglycerides combine with proteins to form particles called lipoproteins that transport fats through the bloodstream. These lipoproteins carry triglycerides from the liver to other parts of the body that need this energy source. Triglycerides then return to the liver where they are removed from the body. The level of triglycerides in your blood can indicate how efficiently your body processes the fat in your diet.
Total Cholesterol
Healthy Range = Less than 200
A high cholesterol may put you at risk for heart disease or stroke. Elevated cholesterol levels can be caused by diets high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Genetics or medical conditions such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney disease, liver disease or pregnancy can also raise the amount of cholesterol in your blood. A low cholesterol result is a result that does not fall into a range considered at risk for cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease. Decreased levels of cholesterol can indicate malnutrition, intestinal malabsorption, hyperthyroidism, chronic anemia, liver disease or other medical conditions.
HDL Cholesterol
Healthy Range = Greater than 50 for Women or
Greater than 40 for Men
Elevated High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol is associated with decreased risk of heart disease. Unlike other cholesterol levels, the HDL test result is best if it is high. Levels may increase with regular exercise. A low level of HDL cholesterol can be associated with increased risk for heart disease. Genetic factors or conditions including liver disease, malnutrition, or hyperthyroidism may decrease HDL levels. Smoking and drinking alcohol may also decrease your HDL level.
LDL Cholesterol
Healthy Range =
Less than 70 if you have known Coronary Artery Disease.
Less than 100 if you have Diabetes Mellitus.
Less than 130 if you have 2 or more cardiovascular risk factors.
Less than 160 if you have less than 2 cardiovascular risk factors.
Elevations of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol are associated with an increase risk of a narrowing or blockage of arterial blood vessels with plaques of cholesterol ; this is often referred to atherosclerosis. Elevated LDL cholesterol is associated with being over weight as well as a genetic predisposition. In the past, many believed that eating fatty foods caused the cholesterol in our blood stream to increase but recent science has taught us that being overweight if a much more important factor contributing to elevated LDL cholesterol levels than is eating more cholesterol or fatty foods. Medical conditions such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney disease, liver disease and pregnancy can also raise your LDL level.
HDL Cholesterol / Total Cholesterol Ratio
Healthy Range = Ratio less than 5.0
The ratio of total Cholesterol to HDL-Cholesterol is another indicator of heart disease risk. A ratio of 5.0 or less is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.