This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It is general information and is not medical advice, so please talk to your doctor about your own health.
For many people, a heart check means one thing: a cholesterol test. You give a blood sample, a few numbers come back, and if they are in the normal range you go home reassured. Getting tested at all is a very good habit, and plenty of people never do it.
The challenge is that a basic test may tell you less about your heart than you think. Roughly half of people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol levels, which is a strong reason to ask whether there is more you could learn.
The standard test most people have is a lipid panel. It usually measures your total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides. These are useful numbers, and your doctor will use them alongside things like your blood pressure, your blood sugar, your weight and your family history.
The Cardiovascular Testing Guide that comes with Heart Disease Code goes further. It argues that a simple lipid test on its own is outdated, and it explains the modern tests worth discussing with your doctor. The experts in The Untold Story of Heart Disease explain, for example, that LDL comes as small dense particles and large fluffy particles, and that these behave differently. A standard result does not always tell you which kind you have.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and is often called the silent killer, because many people feel completely fine until something goes badly wrong. Fred Pauser, one of the survivors featured in the series, was active, avoided fat and ate lots of whole grains. He had no warning signs before he woke one morning with stabbing chest pain, and his doctor found the main arteries to his heart were almost completely blocked.
Stories like Fred's are why so many of the experts in the series encourage people to look at the wider picture. Your risk is shaped by many things at once, and the more of that picture you and your doctor can see, the better your decisions can be.
You do not need to become an expert in cardiology to have a better conversation with your doctor. Going in with a few clear questions is usually enough to open the door. You might ask:
Write your questions down and take them with you. Appointments can feel rushed, and having a list means you leave with answers rather than a nagging feeling that you forgot something.
Everyone can benefit from understanding their heart better, but some people have extra reason to raise testing with their doctor. That includes anyone with a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, unusually high cholesterol or high triglycerides. It also includes people carrying extra weight around the abdomen and those with inflammatory conditions, gum disease, erectile dysfunction or ongoing sleep problems, all of which appear on the list of higher-risk signs in Heart Disease Code.
Your doctor is the right person to decide which tests suit you. Some tests are more useful for certain people than others, and your doctor can weigh up your history and explain the options available where you live.
If you already take medication for your heart, blood pressure or cholesterol, please keep taking it as prescribed. Better testing and better understanding are tools to help you work with your doctor. If your results improve over time, your doctor can consider whether your treatment should change.
The Cardiovascular Testing Guide is one of several bonuses included with Heart Disease Code, created by documentary filmmaker Matt Carter after 3 years of interviewing over 40 cardiologists, doctors, nutrition experts and survivors. Cardiologists featured in the series include Dr Stephen Sinatra, Dr Jack Wolfson, Dr Mimi Guarneri and Dr Peter Langsjoen, and Dr Matthew Budoff is among the other experts interviewed.
Along with the testing guide, you get the Heart Disease Code ebook with 9 steps to fight and prevent heart disease naturally, the 9-part docuseries of about 10 hours, a Heart Health Supplementation Guide and a Heart Healthy Cookbook with over 50 easy recipes. You can see the testing guide and everything else included here.
Heart Disease Code is $19.95 as a one-time payment, down from $99.95, with a 60-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. Walking into your next appointment prepared can make it one of the most valuable conversations you have about your health. Get Heart Disease Code and prepare for your next check-up.