The Number 1 Killer-Heart Disease. What to Know...

Cardiovascular disease or CVD is the number one killer worldwide. This means we are ALL at risk and should be aware of what we can do to lower our risk. First, we need to know what puts us at risk. While there is a lot of blame placed on cholesterol as the cause of CVD, this is not entirely true. Let’s break down what cholesterol is and what other tests are the most revealing in CVD.

Cholesterol is a lipid of the sterol type, meaning that while it is a fat it is also used to make vitamin D and other sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen. Cholesterol is a normal, healthy and a necessary component of human physiology.

Cholesterol is broken down into HDL and LDL. This stands for High Density Lipoprotein and Low Density Lipoprotein. One is looked upon as good and the other as bad and the best way to keep these two straight is to think of the “H” in HDL as Happy. That’s the good one.

If you have a high LDL you may want to ask your doctor for a fractionated lipid panel that will break down the LDL into further components to get a better idea of actual risk. I personally use the Cardio IQ from Quest Diagnostics.

In addition to the fractionated lipid panel we always want to look at inflammation that increases CVD risk. This is in the form of C-reactive protein or CRP or Hs-CRP and can easily be run with your regular blood labs.

Another maker to view is fibrinogen, which is an indicator for how sticky the blood can get and increase your risk for heart attack and stroke. Lastly, one of the most important makers is a fasting insulin. INSULIN??? But, that’s for blood sugar! EXACTLY! Studies have shown that poor blood sugar metabolism is one of the number one factors in CVD.

Now you can see that looking at the total number of cholesterol, like we’re so often told, isn’t always the best evaluator of risk for CVD and diet is always paramount. There is plenty of science behind the Mediterranean Diet in the prevention of CVD. For more information on the Mediterranean Diet check out that blog for more specifics.