What you should know about Cardiometabolic Risk and Heart Disease

It’s Valentine’s Day, the perfect day to celebrate a healthy heart, as February is Heart Health Month! Do you know your heart health?

With COVID-19 Pandemic taking over the headlines this past year, we forget that heart disease is still the leading cause of death for Americans and continues to rise year after year. According to the CDC, 655,000+ people died last year from cardiac disease. That’s 1 in every 4 deaths, or 1 person every 36 seconds! Heart disease is also a huge economic burden on Americans. In 2014-2015, healthcare services, medications, and lost productivity due to cardiac disease and death cost Americans $219 Billion and continues to rise.

These are staggering statistics, such a huge loss of human life and finances, and guess what?

Cardiac disease is LARGELY PREVENTABLE.

(I’ll state that again so it sinks in.)

Cardiac disease is LARGELY PREVENTABLE. In more than 90% of patients, there are chronic conditions that are related to nutrition, lifestyle, and other modifiable risk factors. Hopefully, after reading this you will have hope in preventing a future heart attack! You have the power to change!

WHAT FACTORS INCREASE MY RISK IN DEVELOPING HEART DISEASE?

The risks for heart disease are related to largely preventable conditions or lifestyle factors that may be under our control:

• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• tobacco smoking
• excess alcohol use
• unhealthy nutrition
• physical inactivity
• abdominal obesity
• insulin resistance/pre-diabetes
• diabetes
• excessive stress
• lack of regular sleep

Less common, are genetic factors affecting cholesterol, clotting, or other metabolic/hormonal functions of the body.

Fortunately, for 90% of people, genetics does not play a big role in developing heart disease, which means we are in more control of our future health than we realize! – Dr. Nedeau

HOW DO I PREVENT HEART DISEASE?

There are many lifestyle factors that contribute to the risk of heart disease. To lower your risk for heart disease:

• Eat a quality diet that is packed full of antioxidants, phytonutrients, healthy fats, and fiber
• Avoid eating foods that are high in saturated fats, overly processed, or high in sugar
• Avoid excess alcohol intake
• Be physically active
• Maintain a healthy body weight
• Don’t smoke cigarettes
• Maintain a regular sleep cycle and get 7-8 hours of sleep every night
• Manage stress appropriately

HOW DOES BLOOM LA VIE HEALTH EVALUATE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK?

At Bloom La Vie Health, we created a package for those who want a complete evaluation and treatment plan.

The Cardiometabolic Health Package includes:

• Consultation with a board-certified family physician with advanced training in endocrinology, genomics, and functional/integrative medicine
• Comprehensive family and personal medical history intake to reveal inherited trends towards heart disease
• Vital sign measurements of Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Respiration, Temperature, O2 Saturation, Height, Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Minimally invasive, bloodspot test from ZRT Labs measuring 8 biomarkers that can be used to determine the overall risk for diabetes mellitus type 2, metabolic syndrome, and ultimately, cardiovascular disease:
• Insulin – screening for insulin resistance and pre-diabetes
• High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) – measure of inflammation related to cardiovascular disease
• Hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c) – screening for pre-diabetes/diabetes
• Triglycerides (Trig) – type of fat found in the body which is stored and used for energy
• Total Cholesterol (TC) – total amount of HDL and LDL in the body
• High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) – the “good” type of fat-carrier protein that carries cholesterol to the liver which then eliminates it from the body which can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke
• Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) – the “bad” type of fat-carrier protein that carried cholesterol to the tissue and can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke
• Very-Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) – a type of fat-carrier protein like LDL, but rather than carrying cholesterol to the tissue, it carries triglycerides and can increase heart disease and stroke risk
• Curated preventive plan based on personal risk factors that include specific actionable steps to decrease your overall risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
• Optional add-on tests include Body Composition Testing, CardioScan, VO2Max Testing, Methylation studies, Hormone Testing, Nutritional Testing
• Discounted referrals for nutrition, health coaching, specialist, imaging services

Schedule Your Initial Consultation

You don’t have to develop heart disease. Even if you already have pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypertension, or known coronary heart disease, we can help you lower your future risks so you can live your healthiest life. Contact us today at Bloom La Vie Health and schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Nedeau. It’s never too late to start!