Testing to Evaluate Your Heart Health
Heart disease is still the #1 killer of women in the United States. Unfortunately, women’s cardiovascular health is under-evaluated and under-treated. So often evaluations only look at standard lipid panels that provide limited pictures of health. However, there are a variety of tests that can help us better understand metabolic risks and intervene earlier to reduce disease.
Testing to Evaluate Your Heart Health
1. Advanced lipid panels. Beyond knowing your total cholesterol, HDL and LDL, advanced lipid panels can provide details to assess risk with markers including:
ApoB- This marker measures the total number of atherogenic LDL particles and is one of the strongest predictors of cardiovascular risk.
LDL-P- Low-Density Lipoprotein Particle number measures the concentration and size of actual LDL particles in your blood with higher numbers indicating more particles available to enter artery walls and form plaque.
Lp(a)- A genetically determined type of LDL cholesterol that when elevated significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and aortic valve disease.
2. Inflammation and metabolic markers. Heart disease is driven in part by inflammation and poor glycemic control. Biomarkers like fasting insulin, A1c, fasting glucose and hs-crp help assess your inflammation and metabolic health.
3. Coronary Calcium Score. A coronary artery calcium (CAC) heart scan measures calcium in the plaque of your heart vessels. It is a useful test when we need additional information to assess heart health that cannot be provided by labs alone.
Who Benefits from Advanced Testing?
All women can benefit from an advanced test, however I strongly encourage women with certain metabolic risk factors below to consider advanced labs:
In perimenopause or menopause
Have a family history of early heart disease
Had gestational diabetes
Have autoimmune disease
Struggle with sleep or chronic stress
Have central weight gain despite healthy habits
Are on hormone therapy and want objective monitoring
Having this additional information about your cardiovascular risks allows us to adjust your diet, optimize your exercise routine, and use medications and supplements strategically.
Let’s take care of your heart together.