Three biomarkers that reveal your increased risk of heart disease
You may be sailing along, thinking you're doing a good job of taking care of yourself. After all, your LDL is 110 mg/dL and you're only a little overweight, when -- bam! You have a heart attack.
That wake-up call may happen because you weren't paying close enough attention to five biomarkers: genetic risks, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, waist size and inflammation -- that each measure a different pathway to heart disease.
Three of those biomarkers may be new to you. A study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions looked at the impact of lipoprotein (a), remnant cholesterol (associated with triglycerides) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (an inflammation marker) on your risk for heart attack. Turns out that folks with elevated levels of all three had a 300% increased risk of a heart attack compared to folks without those biomarkers. Folks with two elevated biomarkers had a 200% increased risk, and those with one had a 45% increased risk.
So, if your LDL level is above 70 mg/dL, you're overweight, have a waist size that's more than half your height and/or have diabetes or another chronic disease, ask your doctor to check these three markers. If any is elevated, take steps to roll back your risk and achieve a younger ActualAge (take the test at 4YOUngevity.com). A combo of smart medicines (a statin and/or a GLP-1 -- it promotes heart health independent of weight loss), increased physical activity, stress management and a diet upgrade offers serious protection. For heart-loving foods, enjoy my book, "The What to Eat When Cookbook."
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.
(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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