HDL or "Good" Cholesterol: A Biomarker of Health

 

Image by Wonderland via Creative Commons

Not all cholesterol are created equal. Some types are harmful, and some types are beneficial. Here is a simplified explanation of the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol: 

Low-density lipoproteins deposit fat into the blood. High-density lipoproteins carry fat out of the blood.

This post is part of a series on biomarkers of health and longevity. 

Note: I am not a medical professional. This post does not offer medical advice; it's only intended to raise awareness. Please see a licensed medical professional if you have any concerns about your diet or health. 

CRP: Biomarker of Health and Longevity

Photo by Benoit LERAY.

I have grown more curious about the technical information related to blood tests I undergo during my annual check up.

My curiosity was sparked a few years ago when I read a summary of a study about biomarkers. That lead me to read the scientific article behind the summary.

I decided that as a gerontologist and a person who lives in an aging body that I should learn about each of these 18 biomarkers of health and longevity.

This post is part of a series on biomarkers.

This week, I have been reading about the biomarker highly sensitive c-reactive protein, abbreviated hs-CRP or CRP.

Note: I am not a medical professional. This post serves only to increase awareness. If you have a question about your CRP levels or any element of your health, see a licensed medical professional as soon as possible. 

CRP is a protein made by your liver that is present in your blood. Elevated levels of CRP show the body is responding to an inflammation, indicating that something isn't right.

Highly sensitive c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a non-specific marker of disease. 

Optimum levels of CRP are 1.0 mg/L or lower

Moderate levels of CRP are between 1.0 and 3.0 mg/L

Concerning levels of CRP are 3.0 mg/L or higher

CRP is not just an indication of heart problems, but high levels do correspond. Consequently, emergency room doctors and cardiologists use this test to find evidence of cardiovascular disease or a heart event.

BMI: Biomarker for Longevity and Health

Photo by St. Murse

Body Mass Index, also called BMI, appears to be a simple tool for determining a healthy ratio between height and weight.

Not so.

Most people will agree to the truism that a person should not be too underweight or too overweight.

People should be just the right weight.

This post is part of a series on 18 biomarkers.

Note: The function of this post is only to raise awareness. It is not offering medical advice. If you have concerns about your BMI, please see a licensed medical professional. 

The BMI categories as published by the CDC are as follows:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5 - 24.9
Overweight = 25 - 29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
  
But the borders between these four categories are hotly debated as is the more general idea of "ideal weight."

Blood Urea Nitrogen: Biomarker of Health and Longevity

Photo by Neeta Lind.

As a gerontologist, people sometimes ask me about life expectancy.

While large data sets yield clear averages, anticipating the life expectancy of ONE person is nearly impossible.

This post is part of a series on biomarkers. 

Nevertheless, there are some biomarkers of health and longevity that people should monitor.

Blood Urea Nitrogen is one of them.

[Note: This post does not convey medical advice. It only raises awareness. Please see a licensed medical professional if you have any questions or concerns about your health.]

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) measures one area of the body's waste elimination. Ingested proteins are processed by the liver into ammonia and then converted into a less toxic form, urea. The kidneys eliminate the urea through urine.

Creatinine Clearance: Biomarker of Health & Longevity

Photo of nephrons by eLife Journal.

What lab tests can signal signs of longevity?

The Dunedin longitudinal study showed that research participants with higher creatinine clearance levels had better health overall.

Nevertheless, kidney function does slow down a little as we age.

However, not every older adult is destined for kidney dialysis.

This post is part of a series on biomarkers of health and longevity.

Monitoring kidney function is important.

[Note: This post does not offer medical advice; its purpose is only to increase awareness. If you have any concerns about your kidney health, please see a licensed medical professional.]

White Blood Cell Count: Biomarker of Health

Photo by keepingtime_ca.

Most people know that having a high white blood cell count is most likely a sign that the body is fighting an infection.

Also, having a low white blood cell count can be a sign of a problem.

White blood cells play a central role in the body's immune system. These cells constitute about 1% of human blood. They are small, but they are mighty.

Until doing research for this post, I had no idea what values constituted a healthy range for white blood cell count (WBC).

Depending on the source, healthy ranges for WBC are listed somewhere between 4,000 to 5,000 per microlitre on the low end or normal and between 10,000 and 11,000 per microlitre on the high end of normal. 

This post is part of a series on biomarkers of health and longevity.

Telomere Length: Biomarker of Health

Photo by NHGRI.

Everyone agrees that good health is vital.

However, not everyone agrees on how to achieve good health.

There are a lot of ideas on how to be healthy and how to postpone the ravages of aging.

Similarly, there are a lot of ideas about what biological factors are correlated with healthy aging.

Since the mid 1970s, scientists have isolated a genetic feature called telomeres and argue that their length is correlated with health and longevity.

I don't believe there is one single genetic factor that humans can manipulate in order to ward off all aspects of aging.  However, telomere length is viewed by many as the chief marker for longevity and health.

I'm looking more closely at telomeres length as just one out of eighteen important biomarkers of health and longevity. But I do concede that it's an important one, in part because it's a genetic. Also, it's one of the newer biomarkers on the list. We still have a lot to learn.

This post is part of a series on biomarkers of health and longevity.

Gum Health: Biomarker for Longevity and Health

Photo by Jeff Seldon of UK's DFID.

Many people assume that gum disease is an isolated problem.

However, gum disease can affect the health of other systems of the body. Additionally, poor oral hygiene is correlated with poor self-care in other areas of the body.

The technical terms for gum disease are gingivitis and periodontitis.

1. gingivitis, meaning the inflammation of the gums (called the gingiva).

2. Left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, which happens when immflamation causes the gums pull away from the teeth and gums bleed more readily. Left untreated, people with periodontitis can lose their teeth and suffer destruction of their mouth bones, gums and other tissue.

For a more thorough discussion of the causes, prevention, and treatment of gingivitis, see Medicine Net's page here.

The significance of gum health is demonstrated further by its inclusion as a biomarker of health and longevity.

This post is part of a series on biomarkers.

Mean Arterial Pressure: Biomarker of Health

Photo by Christiana Care.

There are a few different ways to view blood pressure.

The most common is a reading of the systolic and diastolic functions, an ideal reading being 120/80.

However, medical personnel are also interested in the mean arterial pressure also known as MAP.

This post is part of a series on biomarkers of health and longevity.

This is calculated by doubling the diastolic blood pressure, adding it to the systolic and dividing by three.

For example, if we take the average blood pressure above and apply this calculation it looks like this:

(80 + 80 + 120)/3 = 93.3

Or you can plug in your systolic and diastolic numbers into an online MAP calculator.

The MAP lets them know if the body is getting too little profusion of blood (lower than 60) or too much (higher than 105).

Note: This post is to raise awareness only. It does not offer medical advice. If you have concerns about your circulatory system, please see a licensed medical professional. 

FEV1: Biomarker of Health

Photo by CircaSassy.

This post is part of a series on Biomarkers of Health and Longevity. 

The most interesting research article I read last year was a report about the pace of aging among young adults as measured by a series of tests. 

The article listed 18 biomarkers of aging.  I only recognized 6 of them.  

In an effort to better safeguard my health, I decided to learn about all of these biomarkers. 

The biomarker FEV1 is an abbreviation for a common pulmonary function test.  In other words, FEV1 measures lung health. 

FEV is short for Forced Expiratory Volume.  The 1 indicates the duration of 1 second. 

VO2 Max: Biomarker of Health

Photo by Charlyn Wee.

As a Baby Boomer, I have heard chatter about the value of cardiovascular fitness since Jane Fonda first marketed her aerobics videos.

However, I just investigated the assessment tools for VO2 and VO2 Max in my efforts to better understand biomarkers of health and longevity.

This post is part of a series on Biomarkers for Health. 

By looking at the tools used by researchers to measure fitness and pace of aging, I'm trying to better understand lab results that doctors might order for me or for my Greatest Generation parents.

I am also trying to use midlife as a time to prepare for higher quality of life during my 70s, 80s and beyond.  

For this reason, I decided to read a bit about various VO2 tests and VO2 Max tests as measures of cardiorespiratory fitness.

V = Volume

O2 = Oxygen

VO2 Max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen a person can absorb during vigorous exercise. 

HbA1c: Biomarker of Health

Photo by Sam Azgor.

This post is part of a series on 

Biomarkers of Longevity & Health

Because I have have several members in my extended family who are diabetic (both Type I and Type II), I tend to read more about diabetes for someone without a diagnosis. 

I want to offer diabetic family members support.

I also want to understand the risks that my children and I might face because of the history of diabetes on my side of the family.

Most recently, I have been interested in learning more about the HbA1c test, also called the A1c test.

Waist-Hip Ratio: Biomarker of Health

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski.

Some biomarkers of longevity and general health require a doctor, some lab work, and some technical analysis.

Waiste-Hip Ratio (WHR) is one of the most straightforward biomarkers.

Basically, if you are shaped like a pear, you're OK. But if you are shaped like an apple, you're in trouble. 

[This post is part of a series on biomarkers of health and longevity.] 

Watching your waistline alone does have some value.

According to a Harvard Medical School post summarizing the research on WHR, women have an increased risk of serious health problems if their waist is 40 inches or more.  

Men have an increased risk if their waist is 35 inches or more.

Dr. Len Kravitz of the University of New Mexico cites research that lowers the threshold or risk by several inches:

"A waist circumference >35 inches (88 cm) in women and >40 inches (102 cm) in men is associated with higher cardiometabolic risk (Ness-Abramof and Apovian, 2008)."

Arguing over a few inches is probably not worth the time spent away from the gym.

BMI or waist circumference alone is not as accurate a marker as the ratio between the waist circumference and the hips. Belly fat is far more accurate predictor of health problems than having substantial hips and/or thighs.

Note: This post is to raise awareness only. It does not offer medical advice. If you have concerns about your weight, please see a licensed medical professional. 

Biomarkers for Longevity and Health

Photo by Martin Sharman.

Everybody dies. If you're lucky, you get to grow old first.

However, aging is correlated with an increasing number of bodily complaints.

Yet people don't all age at the same rate.

Genetics, environmental factors, access to affordable healthcare (provided by benefits, income and proximity), and lifestyle choices affect our aging process.

Well, and we can never completely outrun Father Time.

This week, I read a The Guardian's summary of a recent study that illustrates this variation:

At 38 years old, participants of the Dunedin Study Birth Cohort were found to demonstrate biological "ages" ranging from 28 to 61.

Why did the nearly thousand participants age at different rates?

Here are the 18 biomarkers used in the Dunedin Birth Cohort study. I'm using the labels from Figure 3 of the research publication itself.

1. HbA1c
2. Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2Max)
3. Waist:Hip Ratio
4. FEV1/FVC
5. FEV1
6. Mean arterial pressure
7. BMI
8. Leukocyte telomere length
9. Creatinine clearance
10. Urea Nitrogen
11. Lipoprotein(a)
12. Triglycerides
13. Gum Health
14. Total cholesterol 
15. White blood cell count
16. hs CRP
17. HDL cholesterol
18. ApoB100/ApoA1