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 By Dave Warner
The list of diseases and conditions that can make you seriously ill or even kill you can be daunting.
Heart disease, cancer, stroke – the list goes on and on.
For some, there’s not much you can do to prevent it.
But for prudent people, there are some body numbers you should know that will help you keep an eye on your health.
- Blood pressure. You want to aim for readings that are at or below 120/80. The top number is called the systolic pressure, and measures the maximum pressure when the heart contracts. The bottom number is called the diastolic reading, and measures the pressure when your heart is at rest. When you have high blood pressure, of hypertension, your numbers would be over 140/90. High numbers put you at risk for heart failure, stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
- Cholesterol. This is an important reading because high cholesterol levels increase your chances of getting heart disease. The readings contain two numbers, one measure low density cholesterol, (LDL) which is the damaging one, and the other high density, (HDL) which helps to keep you healthy. If you have a reading of less than 100 for LDL, you’re doing well. It’s borderline high from 130 to 159. And it’s very high at 190 and above. You’ll need to talk more to your doctor if your HDL level is less than 40.
- Triglyceride levels. It measures a combination of fatty acids and glycerol. High readings are 200 or more.
- Your Body Mass Index. In other words, determine if you should lose weight. A reading of over 30 means you’re obese, 26 to 29 is overweight and 18.5 to 25 is normal. Less than 18.5 is underweight.
- Your waist size. This is really the old apple shape vs. Pear shape measurement. Extra weight around your waist, the apple, is worse for you than extra weight around your hips. That said, for women, a waist of more than 35 inches should be a cause of concern, and for men, a waist over 40 inches.
You want to know why your doctor keeps such a sharp eye on your blood pressure and cholesterol readings?
It’s because heart disease kills more Americans than anything else, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here’s the list of top killers in the United States, in order, based on 2008 statistics:
- Heart disease, 617,527
- Cancer of all types, 566,137
- Chronic lower respiratory disease, 141,075
- Stroke 133,750
- Accidents, 121,207
- Alzheimer’s disease, 82,476
- Diabetes, 70,601
- Flu and pneumonia, 56,335
- Nephritis,(kidney disease) nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis, 48,283
- Septicemia, (bacterial infection of the bloodstream) 35,961
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