Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the clinical term used to refer, in general, to heart disease, stroke, a patient’s health status after coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty, carotid disease, and peripheral artery disease.

Over 82 million Americans, one-third of the population have some form of heart disease. Every 25 seconds someone has a heart attack; every 40 seconds someone has a stroke.
These are startling statistics. Yet, there is no such thing as a sudden heart attack. It usually takes years to develop clogging of arteries, but an artery can close off in minutes if a clot develops in the diseased area of the artery.

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines have identified increased age, male sex, race, high blood pressure and its treatment, elevated blood cholesterol levels due to increased blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol), low blood levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good” cholesterol), diabetes, and smoking as the major risk factors for ASCVD.

While we have no control over our age, sex, or race, other factors that can be controlled.

To lower your risk for heart disease and stroke and increase your longevity, a good place to start is to know your current LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, by having your blood tested. Our Longevity Standard Health Test will give you these values and determine your risk for heart disease and stroke. To lower your risk for stroke specifically, check your blood pressure.
The cornerstone of ASCVD prevention is lifestyle modification through the guidance and support from a lifestyle nutritionist skilled in coaching for healthy longevity. Adopting a diet high in vegetables and limited in saturated fat, cholesterol, and refined sugars and following a lifestyle that includes daily physical activity, abstinence from alcohol, and weight loss, if indicated, are effective in lowering your LDL cholesterol to <100 mg/dL, raising your HDL cholesterol to >50 mg/dL, and maintaining your blood pressure at <120/90 mmHg. Individual, one-on-one lifestyle coaching sessions with a nutritionist can help you achieve these lifestyle modification and health goals.

Often, medications may be required to reverse your ASCVD risk. Your healthcare provider can also guide you on blood pressure treatment.

Diabetes is defined as having a fasting blood glucose level >125 mg/dL. About 20% of people with a fasting blood glucose value between 100 mg/dL and 125 mg/dL, a condition known as prediabetes, develop diabetes within 10 years.

Your risk for cognitive decline and dementia, according to data from the Framingham Heart Study, is increased by being over 70 years of age, having a stroke or a transient ischemic attack, living alone, having a low body mass index (<18), and having a history of diabetes or cancer. Biomarkers of increased dementia risk and cognitive decline include elevated blood levels of homocysteine due to folate and vitamin B12 deficiency, and low levels of omega-3 fatty acids. The data indicate that optimizing blood pressure and levels of folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, and omega-3 fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are critical for dementia prevention.  Our Brain Risk Profile blood test will measure your blood levels of folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, and DHA and, based on genetic testing, determine your ability to metabolize homocysteine properly. Our Lifestyle Support coaching sessions will give you individualized action steps to lower your risk for cognitive decline and dementia

Diabetes is a complex disease state. It can lead to metabolic complications like heart disease, kidney failure, nerve problems, blindness, and amputations.

There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. They are differentiated by the physiological cause of the disease.

Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age and in people of every race, shape, and size. It is triggered by the body’s inability to produce insulin. Your body breaks down the carbohydrates you eat into blood sugar that it uses for energy. Insulin is the hormone that the body uses to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of various organs. Type 1 diabetes is a condition that can be managed by medication, daily physical activity, and a diet plan.

Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of diabetes. In this instance, your body doesn’t use insulin properly. Before people develop type 2 diabetes, they almost always have prediabetes. There are, however, no clear symptoms of prediabetes; you may have prediabetes and not know it. To determine whether you are prediabetic, order our Current Health Status blood test and have your fasting blood levels of glucose measured. If you are already prediabetic or diabetic, you should check your blood glucose, insulin, and HbA1c values every 1-2 years. Our Metabolic Risk Profile blood test will give you these values. A large part of managing type 2 diabetes is developing a healthy diet and getting moving. Our Lifestyle Support coaching sessions will give you individualized action steps to accomplish and maintain your lifestyle modifications.