Four tools for managing cardiovascular disease risk
Cardiovascular Disease kills But longevity technologies help manage risk
In this post, we present you with four immediately actionable ways to ASSESS your risk
If you’re like us — you’re excited about the imminent increases to our healthspan that longevity technologies will soon offer us. However, if you want to stick around long enough to take advantage of all of the soon-to-be available lifespan and healthspan boosting technologies, you need to make sure you don’t die in the process!
But how will you die? Probability states it will be one of the four deadly killers
Atherosclerotic coronary heart disease is the single leading cause of death of men and women in the United States [Source: Medscape]
Ever since science effectively cured infectious disease through antibiotics, vaccinations and the like, there has been a distinct shift in what kills humans to the four deadly killers, which are considered ‘age related diseases’.
These are — cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, metabolic disease and cancer. If you manage to escape the most likely causes of death as a young person, which are largely accidental death (mostly car accidents), homicide or mental illness related (suicide) — then it is most likely that one of those four deadly killers will end your life.
But here’s the good news — there’s a growing body of immediately actionable longevity technologies that you can engage with to offset your risk of dying of these diseases.
In a series of posts on the topic, we’ll cover a few key resources at your disposal for managing your risk for each of these four categories.
First-up, cardiovascular disease.
Deadly Killer #1 — Cardiovascular disease
Heart attack, stroke, thrombosis, heart failure — the chances are overwhelming that you have lost someone important to you in your life to one of these causes.
It is often seemingly sudden, but in most cases, the acute cause of death by cardiovascular disease has been brewing for a very long time — decades even.
From A to D, the progression of atherosclerosis. At A: healthy aorta with no disease. D: an abundance of plaques and ulcerations.
The term ‘cardiovascular’ encompasses disease of both the heart and blood vessels, which is driven by the build up and eventual displacement of plaque that accumulated in the arterial wall in a process called ‘atherosclerosis’.
It’s not our role to explain all of the mechanisms of this disease.
Instead, we’ll focus on four actionable tools you can work with your doctor to obtain access to, which will help you assess your risk profile and detect any elevated risk of an acute event (e.g. heart attack, stroke) at an early, treatable stage:
1. Action 1 - Test your ApoB (“A-PO-B”)
Stop using your LDL-C as your only risk assessment tool (The “LDL” value too commonly called the “bad” cholesterol), and add tracking of your ApoB.
ApoB is a particular type of molecule attached to the types of lipoproteins carried by your LDL (and VLDL) that are the most likely to enter the arterial wall and lead to plaque formation.
You need to know *how many* of these atherogenic particles you have present in a given volume of you blood — this drives your risk.
Your ApoB value is influenced by diet and lifestyle and can be controlled with pharmaceutical intervention and possibly through certain forms of supplementation.
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Self-order your own Apo-B test (+other cardiovascular markers)!
No doctor required!
HealthLabs.com (USA) - Single Test
UltaWellness (USA) - Panel
I-Screen (Australia) - Panel
2. Action 2 - Do you have elevated Lpa (”L-P-little-A”)?
Lpa is another cardiovascular disease bad guy that may be in your bloodstream.
Lipoprotein-a is a particle which carries cholesterol, fats and proteins and is made by your body, and how much of it you make is inherited.
Elevated levels of Lpa increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke as they are known to cause atherosclerosis.
You certainly need to know if you carry the genetic risk factor, and the earlier the better (i.e. get this test done as early as possible)!
Levels of Lpa don’t change much over one’s lifetime, so testing it once is enough in most cases!
Know your Lpa status, and better know your risk, and whether or not you should modify your diet, lifestyle and treatment options.
Learn more about Lpa from the lipoprotein-a foundation
Self-order your own Lp(a) Test
No doctor required!
HealthLabs (USA) - single test
UltaWellness (USA) - Panel (includes ApoB)
i-Screen (Australia) - Panel (includes ApoB)
3. Know your Coronary Artery Calcium scan score
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans are created by using computed tomography (CT) scans, which are a type of X-ray scan, to detect the presence and quantity of coronary artery calcification (the warning signs of atherosclerosis).
A CAC test reveals both the location and quantity of calcium located in three of the main coronary arteries. The scan provides a score which represents your risk.
The lower the better! This score will change over time, and is known to increase with age, so it is important to record it regularly (in a manner that balances the downsides of the X-ray radiation — ask your doctor what’s best for you).
Atherosclerosis is a disease of ageing, and that means your risk is increasing over time. If you are aged 50 or above and have never had one — work with your doctor to get one performed.
Read more about CAC scores in our interview with Health Nucleus Medical Director Keegan Duchicela.
4. Track your inflammation with C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
At its roots, atherosclerosis is known to be intimately connected with inflammation.
In fact, it is often damage to the arterial wall that attracts the formation of plaque in the first place.
This damage occurs over time, and is known to be increasingly likely with high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels.
CRP is a very common and relatively low cost blood test that can be easily ordered up by your doctor, and should be tested annually at the very least.
High levels of CRP are indicative of increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and once again can be influenced by changes in diet and exercise.
If you have the option, go for the high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) test if possible!
Self-order your own hsCRP Test
No doctor required!
HealthLabs (USA) - single test
UltaWellness (USA) - Panel (includes ApoB & Lpa )
i-Screen (Australia) - Panel (includes ApoB & Lpa)
Take Action!
Everything that we have discussed in this post encompasses longevity technologies that are available to you NOW.
Ultimately, it is up to YOU to demand access to these technologies, in one way or another. No one is going to do that for you.
If you are aged 50 or older, the importance of getting each of these tests performed is exponentially more important with each decade of life!
FDA DISCLAIMER
This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for medical care or to prescribe treatment for any specific health condition. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
