How to assess your cardiovascular health?

Cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar… we all know these terms, but do we really know how to assess our cardiovascular health as a whole? Beyond the usual tests, there are more precise biological markers that provide a complete picture of cardiovascular risk. In this video, Dr Vincent Renaud guides us through the main biological markers to monitor in order to take real stock of one's cardiovascular health.

Today, functional biology is far more exhaustive than conventional biology, because it looks at the real causes of cardiovascular diseases. It makes it possible to go further in the search for predictive terrains and predispositions to cardiovascular risk.

Conventional tests: a starting point

Usually, your doctor prescribes what is called an EAL, a Lipid Anomaly Examination. This examination includes:

• total cholesterol,
• LDL cholesterol, the cholesterol carrier,
• HDL cholesterol,
• the HDL to LDL ratio,
• triglycerides. These tests are a first starting point, but they are not sufficient to get a complete picture of your cardiovascular health.

Going further with functional biology

In addition to conventional tests, it is advisable to measure more precise markers to assess your cardiovascular risk in a global way:

Markers of oxidation and inflammation

To go even further, it is interesting to look for markers of oxidation and inflammation. Among them:

• oxidised LDL, the dangerous form for your arteries,
• homocysteine,
• blood sugar,
• the HOMA index, which measures insulin resistance. These markers provide an overall reflection of your cardiovascular risk.
• oxidised LDL,
• coenzyme Q10, a very reliable marker for assessing the proper functioning of your energy plants, which helps regulate your cholesterol,
• Lp(a), a lesser-known but increasingly relevant marker for assessing cardiovascular risk in a preventive and predictive way.