“Cholesterol is not the whole story. We need to look for hidden risk factors for heart disease,” says Doug Triffon, M.D., director of the Lipid Clinic at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine.
Hidden risk factors include triglyceride levels after eating, C-reactive protein, LDL sub-type, Lp(a), and APO AI. These are more important -– and earlier – predictors of heart disease than cholesterol. Advanced lipid testing, through a simple blood test, can help you find your true risk for heart disease so you can take steps to reduce or eliminate it.
Having a normal triglyceride level, for example, doesn’t mean that you’re at low risk for heart disease. Triglycerides, a form of fat, are measured after fasting as part of standard cholesterol testing. But triglycerides rise after eating.
“A nonfasting triglycerides test is a better predictor of the real risk for heart disease for the third of Americans who are overweight,” says Dr. Triffon.
C-reactive protein is just as important as LDL in predicting your risk for heart disease. This protein is used to measure the level of inflammation, which can lead to a heart attack, in your body.
The sub-type of LDL and a genetic variation called lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), count. People with larger LDL have half the heart disease risk of those with smaller LDL. A high level of Lp(a) doubles the risk, and often causes heart attacks in men in their 40s.
People with high HDL levels (the “good” cholesterol) are still at risk for heart disease if they have low levels of APO AI, a molecule that protects the heart.
Finding Heart Disease Earlier
Advanced lipid testing can find these
hidden risk factors for heart disease.
“Most people should have advanced lipid testing once. It provides a much more informed view of your risk,” explains Dr. Triffon. Knowing your risk is the first step in reducing or eliminating it through lifestyle changes (a heart-healthy diet and exercise), and/or medications, and more frequent monitoring by your doctor.
To schedule advanced lipid testing, call 1-800-SCRIPPS.
