Cardiologist Says These 3 Blood Tests Could Save You From Heart Disease
They can help assess your risk for heart attack, stroke, Afib, and more.
For decades, heart disease has been the number-one cause of death in the U.S., currently affecting about half of the population. And experts predict that by 2050, 61 percent of Americans will have cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation, and congenital heart disease, according to CNN. Part of the reason these numbers are increasing is that more and more Americans suffer from obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and a sedentary lifestyle—all risk factors for heart disease.
But Jeremy London, MD, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon in Savannah, Georgia, says that requesting three specific blood tests can help assess your heart disease risk—and stop it in its tracks.
RELATED: This Disease Is Killing 450% More Americans Than 50 Years Ago, Shocking New Report Finds.
1
LDL-C
LDL-C stands for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and it’s a measure of your “bad” cholesterol. High LDL levels often cause plaque buildup in the arteries, which can then lead to coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, and aortic aneurysm, according to Cleveland Clinic.
They explain that high cholesterol can be caused by the following factors:
- Overweight/obesity
- Consuming too many foods high in saturated and/or trans fats
- Smoking and vaping
- Diseases such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease
- Genetics
- Certain medications, including those for blood pressure
As London notes in a popular TikTok video, standard bloodwork panels check your LDL cholesterol (it’s why you’re asked to fast beforehand), so it’s just one more reason to never skip your annual exams.
Be sure your panel also checks HDL levels. “HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the ‘good cholesterol’ that helps remove extra LDL cholesterol from your blood,” explains Cleveland Clinic.
If you do have high LDL cholesterol, be sure to speak to your doctor about your options. As Best Life recently reported, “Despite eligibility, most patients with high cholesterol don’t take statins or similar cholesterol-lowering drugs. According to a new study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, closing this gap could prevent nearly 100,000 non-fatal heart attacks in the U.S. annually.”
RELATED: 85% of Unvaccinated Women Will Likely Get This Virus—And New Research Links It to Heart Disease.
2
Apolipoprotein B (ApoB)
“Think of this one as a 30,000 foot view of the atherogenic, or dangerous, cholesterol particles,” London explains of an ApoB test. “This is important because it’s the absolute number of ApoB particles, not the cholesterol content, that increases cardiovascular risk.”
In other words, LDL cholesterol cannot travel through your bloodstream without being carried by a lipoprotein such as ApoB. This is also a good predictor of heart disease risk because ApoB does not carry HDL cholesterol.
In fact, a 2022 review article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) stated: “In 2019, the European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society stated that apolipoprotein B (apoB) was a more accurate marker of cardiovascular risk than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Since then, the evidence has continued to mount in favor of apoB.”
3
Lipoprotein (a)
The final blood test London recommends to assess your heart disease risk is Lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a).
“This is a genetically determined lipoprotein that, if it’s elevated, significantly increases your risk of heart attack and stroke,” he shares. “This protein is attached to the cholesterol particles, and it increases the risk of clotting.”
What’s worrisome is that your other cholesterol levels could be good and your lifestyle healthy, and you could still have elevated Lp(a) levels and not know it, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
“Unfortunately, unlike LDL-C and ApoB, lifestyle modification does not lower Lp(a),” London adds, which is why this test is so important, especially if you have a family history of high Lp(a) or heart disease.
RELATED: Cardiologist Shares the #1 Exercise to Prevent a Heart Attack.
4
Other types of test can also help assess your cardiovascular risk factors.
In another recent video, London shared three non-invasive heart tests you should never skip if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease or are experience heart issues. These are:
- Echocardiogram, an ultrasound that shows how blood flows through the heart and heart valves, and uses sound waves to make pictures of your heart. According to the AHA, it can detect heart failure, causes of heart murmurs, arterial blockages, blood clots, and valve problems.
- Stress test, an analysis of how your heart functions when your body is working hard, determined by walking on a treadmill while wearing EKG pads connected to special machines. “The test can show if the blood flow is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart,” the AHA explains “It also helps your health care team know the type and level of exercise that’s right for you.”
- Calcium scoring CT scan, which looks at how much calcium is in your coronary arteries. “Calcium in your heart’s arteries can tell you if you have a buildup of a waxy, fatty substance (plaque) that can narrow or block them,” notes Cleveland Clinic. “This means you could have atherosclerosis (coronary artery disease), which could lead to a heart attack.”
