If you get these 2 blood tests done, you will be able to detect heart diseases decades in advance, even American doctors give advice

Heart Disease: American experts believe that just an LDL test is not enough, the real risk is known from ApoB. There is a chance of preventing heart disease with timely testing, proper diet, lifestyle, and medication.

Heart disease remains the most dangerous disease in America even today. Every year, millions of people lose their lives due to this. In the year 2022, about 1 million Americans died due to heart disease, that is, one person died every 34 seconds. This figure is really scary. What is even more worrying is that more than half of American adults are suffering from some kind of heart disease, whether they know it or not. There are many reasons behind this - high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and genetic reasons. Especially the cases of high blood pressure and cholesterol are increasing continuously.

Experts estimate that by 2050, more than 180 million Americans will be affected by high blood pressure and obesity, and cases of diabetes will also increase. Recently, American cardiologist Dr. Elo told about two blood tests on Instagram, which can detect the risk of heart disease decades in advance. Let's know what these tests are and what their importance is?

Cholesterol Tests

When you get a cholesterol test, your doctor checks the total cholesterol, LDL (bad cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol) and triglycerides in your blood.

Bad cholesterol (LDL)

It has long been believed that LDL or bad cholesterol causes heart attack and stroke by blocking the arteries of the heart and brain. According to Dr. Aloe, if LDL is more than 60 mg/dL, the risk increases. The higher the LDL, the sooner the problem can become serious. Generally, healthy people are advised to keep LDL below 100 and people with pre-existing heart disease are advised to keep it below 70. According to research published in the JAMA Cardiology Journal, reducing LDL to even less than 70 is more beneficial for the heart. For every 39 mg/dL reduction in LDL, the risk of heart attack, stroke and other heart diseases decreases by about 20%. For example, if someone's LDL decreases from 70 to 31, the risk of heart problems can be reduced by 20%.

The special thing is that whether the method of reducing LDL is through medicines (such as statins, ezetimibe or PCSK9 injections) or by changing lifestyle, the benefits are the same. The best thing is that even if LDL is brought down to very low levels, such as 20 mg/dL, there is no new risk - neither diabetes, nor liver problems, nor cancer, nor stroke. That is why it is said, the lower the LDL, the better.

Good cholesterol (HDL)

HDL or good cholesterol, has always been considered beneficial for the heart, but research shows that it does not provide the same benefits to everyone. The effect of HDL can be different in different races and communities. This means that having high HDL does not always guarantee heart health. Therefore, a cholesterol test alone does not show the complete picture.

ApoB test

Here the Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) test becomes important. Every bad cholesterol particle (such as LDL, VLDL, IDL) present in our blood contains a molecule of ApoB. The ApoB test directly tells how many dangerous particles are in your blood, which can block the veins. Sometimes LDL appears normal in a normal cholesterol test, but the ApoB test shows that the risk is actually higher. According to recent research by American experts, the ApoB test is the most accurate way to understand the risk of heart disease, which is even better than LDL.

Why is it important to catch the danger in time?

Dr. Elo says that the symptoms of a heart attack often appear very late, sometimes decades later. But if you recognize the danger at the age of 20, 30 or 40, you can avoid a heart attack or serious illness. Early detection allows you to improve your diet, change your lifestyle or take the help of medicines if needed. This can help you keep your heart healthy for a long time.

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