7 metrics everyone should know about their own health

IIf you’re asked to share some fun facts about yourself, you probably won’t rattle off your blood pressure or cholesterol levels (even if your “good” cholesterol is, well, really good). But you should have a solid sense of what those numbers are, experts say. Why? “That old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is absolutely correct,” says Dr. Josh Septimus, an internal medicine physician at Houston Methodist Hospital. A small number of conditions, including heart disease and metabolic disorders, cause enormous suffering. “If we can identify some things that help us prevent these morbidities, it will be very worthwhile.”

That being said, you don’t need to know all. Experts widely perform full-body health screenings, for example, which they claim detect early signs of problems like cancer. And while it’s certainly possible to track and analyze your health data through smartwatches and other devices, you won’t necessarily gain much from it. Septimus’s patients sometimes “get lost in some random number,” he says — and when that happens, he reorients them “on the basics.”

Here are the seven metrics everyone should know about their own health.

Your waist circumference

Septimus often tells medical students that if he had just one measurement to predict how much they would suffer from medical problems, it would be waist circumference, which reveals the amount of fat around the midsection. If you have a waist size larger than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men increases your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic problems.

This is a much more useful measure than BMI, he says – a notion supported by research. It provides a more accurate estimate of abdominal fat, which predicts disease risk. Furthermore, BMI – which is calculated based on height and weight – does not take factors such as muscle mass into account.

To find your waist circumference, wrap a tape measure around the middle, right at your belly button. Make sure you are standing and take the measurement after exhaling. “Know your number, and if it’s too big, try decreasing it,” says Septimus. He regularly tells patients that he doesn’t care what the scale says—that number can be influenced, for example, by new muscle mass—but he likes to challenge them to lose 1 to 2 inches from their waist in six months. “If you go to the gym and your waist size is dropping, it’s working,” he says. “If your waist size doesn’t change, it’s not working,” in which case it’s time to reevaluate your strategy, preferably with the help of a doctor.

Your cholesterol profile

You should always have an idea of ​​your total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. That’s why Dr. Sam Setareh, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and senior clinical investigator at the National Heart Institute, performs lipid panels on his patients at least once a year. He repeats tests every three to six months if someone has high levels and is trying to come down. LDL, he adds, is the most important value: “This will tell me about the patient’s risk of developing coronary heart disease or atherosclerosis”, also known as arteries clogged by plaque. (Not every doctor does this automatically, so you may need to request a panel if it’s been a while.)

read more: What to do if your high cholesterol is genetic

Many people with high LDL will be prescribed medications such as statins, but this depends on factors such as your personal risk level. How the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointsYou may be prescribed medication if your LDL is 190 mg/dL or higher, or if you are between the ages of 40 and 75, have diabetes or are at high risk for heart disease or stroke, and have an LDL level of 70 mg/dL or higher.

Your blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure, your heart has to work harder to pump blood – which, over time, can damage the walls of your blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis. As Septimus points out, high blood pressure can trigger complications such as heart attack and stroke, while also harming organs including the brain and kidneys. This is why it is so important to check your blood pressure at least once a year and more often if you are at higher risk based on factors such as age, family history and obesity.

According to the American Heart Associationnormal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg. Exactly how your doctor will proceed if yours is high depends on your individual circumstances. If you’re 35 and have slightly elevated numbers, says Septimus, you’ll likely be told to make lifestyle changes. But if you’re 60 and your father died of a heart attack, you’re much more likely to start taking medication. “We have dozens of blood pressure medications, many of which are cheap as dirt,” he says. “We can use them safely to reduce heart attacks and strokes.”

Your blood sugar

There are a few basic ways doctors can measure blood sugar, but most rely on a hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test. “It’s a bit of a rudimentary tool and doesn’t tell the whole story, but it’s generally the best number to track,” says Septimus. The test calculates your average blood sugar over the past two to three months and is used to diagnose type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. If your A1C level is between 5.7% and 6.4%, you meet the criteria for prediabetes. If you have an A1C of 6.5% or higher, you will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes; in this case, your doctor may encourage lifestyle changes or prescribe medications such as metformin.

You should get an A1C test annually if you are over 45 or if you are younger but overweight or have risk factors such as a sedentary lifestyle or a parent or sibling with diabetes. Meanwhile, people diagnosed with diabetes usually test at least twice a yeardepending on where they are in their treatment regimen.

Your basal metabolic rate

It’s easy to confuse basal metabolic rate, or BMR, with that other three-letter acronym that starts with B: BMI. But the two measures are markedly different. Your BMR measures the minimum amount of energy your body needs to function at rest. “It’s the fuel your body burns just to stay alive every day,” says Dr. Farhan Malik, chief medical officer at Atlanta Innovative Medicine. Knowing your BMR, he explains, allows you to determine whether you’re eating enough to meet your body’s basic needs. This way, you can ensure that changes to your diet and exercise routine are safe and sustainable.

Many online calculators can determine your BMR if you enter your age, height, weight and gender. For example, a 30-year-old woman who is 5’1″ tall and weighs 130 pounds would have a BMR of about 1,300 calories per day. “If she’s exercising a few times a week, she’d want to consume more than that to avoid fatigue and maintain muscle,” says Malik. “But without knowing her BMR, she wouldn’t have that frame of reference to set a calorie goal. appropriate”. This awareness, he adds, helps you know what your body really needs to thrive every day.

From the age of 30: your grip strength

Grip strength – or how much hand and forearm strength you have – is important. “It’s a good indicator of the future functionality a person will have as they age,” says Setareh. If you have strong hands, you will be able to open jars, swing a pickleball paddle, lift heavy objects, and catch yourself when you fall. Research suggests that weak grip strength, on the other hand, is linked to diabetes, heart diseaseand cognitive declineas well as a higher risk of mortality and worse quality of life.

Setareh recommends asking your doctor or physical therapist to measure yours at your annual physical exam, starting around age 30. Typically, the test involves squeezing a dynamometer, which is a device that measures horsepower. If your grip strength needs improving, your doctor will suggest a plan of special exercises you can do at home — such as squeezing a tennis ball for 10 minutes twice a day — in addition to weight training and resistance training, says Setareh.

If you are over 60: your vitamin D level

As you age, your body’s ability to convert sunlight into vitamin D decreases — which is why Dr. Meghan Garcia-Webb, an internist in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, checks patients’ levels annually after they turn 60 years old. adults who have darker skin (melanin can interfere with vitamin D synthesis) or who live in areas that don’t receive much sunlight (like the Northeast during dark winters). It’s also important to get tested regularly if you have a high body weight, “because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin,” she says. “It’s going to be kind of sequestered in that adipose tissue.”

Why the focus on D? To begin with, it plays an essential role in keeping bones strong and helping to prevent osteoporosis, and can strengthen the immune system. Although Garcia-Webb generally treats mild to moderately low levels with an over-the-counter supplement, people with particularly low levels require a high-dose prescription pill.