The ABCs of your Bloodwork

To have a good sense of your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, you need to know your numbers, namely the “ABC”s: A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Knowing your numbers helps to empower you and put you in the driver’s seat to keep you healthy.

A
The A1C, or HbA1c, test is a measure of blood glucose control over the previous 2–3 months. Small changes in A1C can make a big difference in your risk for a pre-diabetes or diabetes diagnosis, or complications from diabetes.

·        Normal: below 5.7%

·        Pre-Diabetes: 5.7% - 6.4%

·        Diabetes: 6.4% or above

B
Your blood pressure is recorded as two numbers:

Systolic blood pressure (the first number) – indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart beats.

Diastolic blood pressure (the second number) – indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls while the heart is resting between beats.

·        Normal: 120/80 or less

·        Elevated: consistently 120-129/80

·        Hypertension (high blood pressure) stage 1: consistently 130-139/80-89

·        Hypertension stage 2: 140/90 or higher

C

Cholesterol is a waxy substance. It’s not inherently “bad.” Your body needs it to build cells and make vitamins and other hormones. But too much cholesterol can pose a problem. Cholesterol comes from two sources. Your liver makes all the cholesterol you need. The remainder of the cholesterol in your body comes from foods from animals.

LDL cholesterol is considered the “bad” cholesterol because it contributes to fatty buildups in arteries (atherosclerosis). This narrows the arteries and increases the risk for heart attack and stroke. 

HDL cholesterol can be thought of as the “good” cholesterol because a healthy level may protect against heart attack and stroke. HDL carries LDL (bad) cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where the LDL is broken down and passed from the body.

Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body. They store excess energy from your diet.

A high triglyceride level combined with high LDL (bad) cholesterol or low HDL (good) cholesterol is linked with fatty buildups within the artery walls, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Recommended numbers for good health:

·        Total Cholesterol < 200

·        HDL > 60

·        LDL < 100

·        Triglycerides < 150