5 Top Lab Tests For Cardiovascular Disease…and Total Cholesterol is NOT on The List!
According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of adults in the United States (48.6%) have some type of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This includes high blood pressure, coronary heart disease (clogged arteries), heart failure and stroke. The prevalence increases with age in both men and women, yet it is largely preventable and even reversible in many cases.
Here in the US, everyone has become indoctrinated into the idea that cholesterol causes heart disease and your Total Cholesterol must be under 200 mg/dl to be safe. In fact, if your Total Cholesterol is over 200, you are commonly prescribed a statin medication to lower it. The rationale is that high cholesterol causes heart disease and that lowering it is in your best interest to stay healthy and live longer.
This is interesting because studies have shown that between 50 and 75% of people who have heart attacks have average or NORMAL cholesterol levels. Since this is the case, taking a statin medication should never give someone a false sense of security that they will not develop heart disease or a heart attack.
Here are five blood tests that are significantly linked to heart disease, some of which you have probably never heard of, let alone had.
My Top Tests (not in any particular order of importance and I threw in an extra!)
hsCRP
Homocysteine
OmegaCheck
Hemoglobin A1C
ApoB
** Lp(a) - Genetically linked test for heart disease
high sensitivity C Reactive Protein (hsCRP)
hsCRP is a protein made in the liver in response to injury and infection among others. It can rise rapidly under these conditions, but then goes back to normal when the situation is resolved. However, when people have chronic inflammation from diet, gut issues, chronic stress, obesity, elevated blood sugar, insomnia, toxicity, unhealthy light environment and several other factors, it is highly connected to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke!
I see people with gut issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) having elevations in hsCRP quite often.
Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid intermediate that is constantly being cycled in the body. It is essential insofar as it can become Methionine which plays a critical role in maintaining our health and is involved in many processes including lowering cancer risk. It can also become Glutathione which acts as our body’s internal Vitamin C - antioxidant.
However, when it does not recycle into these two critical forms, it can build up in the bloodstream and damage the inside of the arteries. It is now considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease when it is elevated.
This can happen from genetic alterations in the MTHFR gene and from specific B vitamin deficiencies which can be tested for and corrected!
OmegaCheck®
Fatty acids can be detrimental to the heart or they can be heart healthy! Omega 3 fatty acids like the ones found in fish are great for the heart and help reduce inflammation. Omega 6 fatty acids however, like the ones in vegetable oil, corn oil, and seed oils tend to promote inflammation when they are too high.
The ratio between these two types of fats has been found to be critical to the development of heart disease! It is important to know what your ration is and the amount of these fatty acids in your system.
Hemoglobin A1C
Imagine your red blood cells are tiny apples within your bloodstream. The core of the apple contains an iron containing molecule called hemoglobin that acts like a magnet for oxygen. Since oxygen itself is magnetic, it easily ‘sticks’ to the red blood cells when you breath.
Now imagine that you have high blood sugar, either pre diabetes or diabetes. The sugar content in your bloodstream is consistently higher than it is supposed to be. This allows it to wrap around the red blood cells and form a hard coating. Instead of having health apples, you now have candy apples with a hard sugary crust! This thick sugar layer reduces the magnetic force to attract the oxygen and your tissues slowly suffocate. This scenario is highly detrimental to the blood vessels and heart and elevated A1C is correlated with an increased risk of heart disease.
Apolipoprotein B (Apo B)
When the body needs to move fats around through the bloodstream, it has to prepare them. Fats like cholesterol can’t dissolve in water based blood. (Think oil and water.) They have to be packaged into lipoproteins with triglycerides in the core and phospholipids, free cholesterol, and apolipoproteins on the surface. Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) is the primary apolipoprotein and is the carrier for LDL cholesterol.
Elevated ApoB has been linked to heart disease more than LDL Cholesterol!
Lipoprotein(a) [also known as Lp(a)]
** A 6th test called Lipoprotein(a) [also known as Lp (a)] is largely considered a genetically linked risk factor for heart disease. It should be tested once per year.
Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) elevations are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. Major medical references state that Lp(a) levels of 50 mg/dL or higher can increase CVD risk, but levels above 30 mg/dL may also increase the risk. Lp(a) is a fatty particle that's similar to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as "bad" cholesterol. However, Lp(a) particles have an apolipoprotein(a) molecule wrapped around them, which can increase blood vessel disease, inflammation, and blood clots. You should have this tested yearly. There are reports of this improving when it is high through aggressive dietary and lifestyle changes.
In conclusion, if you have known heart disease, elevated cholesterol, are taking a statin, are overweight, have diabetes, are overweight, have had any previous heart related issues or have a family history of heart disease, you should have all of these tests done! The good news is that so much of this is reversible. Knowing your body and what these numbers represent can give you a terrific understanding of your true risk and can guide us in developing a plan to deal with it.
Set up a consultation with The OptimumU to start your health journey!