The importance of cardiometabolic testing

Cardiovascular health means that the heart and blood flow are working properly. Together, they make sure that all the cells in our bodies – including cells in our muscles and our brain – get the energy they need to carry out all our daily activities, both physical and intellectual. Having a healthy heart makes it easier to move, think and recover.

However, there are many factors that can impact that health: stress, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Heart and cerebrovascular diseases are among the most common and most serious. In Canada, they represent the second and fifth causes of death, respectively [1]. These diseases can lead to very debilitating health problems such as heart failure after a heart attack, or a stroke which has after-effects, kidney failure requiring dialysis, Alzheimer’s disease, loss of mobility or vision problems.

The main mechanism responsible is the formation of cholesterol plaques in the blood vessels, called atherosclerosis. Just like high blood pressure, this can develop with no obvious symptoms. That is why cardiometabolic testing is essential: it can detect risk factors early, before there are any serious complications.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is very widespread. If you live in Canada, your chances are greater than 8 in 10 of having at least one risk factor for developing this type of disease [2].

It’s important to get tested because:

1. CVD often progresses silently. Most of the time, it does not cause any specific symptoms, except sometimes unusual fatigue, shortness of breath or excess weight (especially around the waist). And yet, CVD’s long-term consequences are serious [3].
2. CVD can be prevented. More than 80% of CVD cases can be prevented through lifestyle habits such as reducing tobacco/alcohol use and adopting a healthy diet. It can also be treated with very effective medicines [4].
3. Knowing your risk factors mean you can take action earlier. Measuring your blood pressure or bad cholesterol level makes you aware of your actual situation and gives the prod you need to adopt better lifestyle habits.

The purpose of the testing is to assess your overall cardiovascular and metabolic health.

Assessing overall health

An assessment of overall health can identify the main risk factors of CVD. There are several elements:

• Assessing family risk factors

The risk of developing CVD is doubled when an immediate family member has been diagnosed with CVD before the age of 55 in men or prior to menopause in women [5].

• Measuring blood pressure

High blood pressure contributes to the complications of diabetes and CVD [6]. It can cause a heart attack or stroke.

• Measuring your waist and weight, and calculating BMI

Your waist measurement and body mass index (BMI) help to assess how much body fat you have and how it is distributed; both elements are related to the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Obesity is the leading risk factor for diabetes [7] while 10 kg (22 lbs) excess weight causes a 12% increase in the risk of developing CVD and a 25% increase in the risk of having a stroke [8].

Becoming aware to take better action

The purpose of this step is to better understand your cardiovascular and metabolic health and give you the tools you need to take action every day.

• Becoming aware of modifiable risk factors (cardiovascular profile, sleep, smoking, alcohol)
• Personalized recommendations
• Improving health knowledge

There are many advantages of adopting a preventive approach. Starting to control modifiable CVD risk factors early can prevent complications before they become serious or difficult to treat.

Since negative effects often occur only after a few years, it’s important to get ahead of things. With a preventive approach, you can:

• quickly detect risk factors;
• act quickly to control them;
• help make informed decisions to protect your health in the long term.

Prevention is more than just testing: it also includes healthy lifestyle habits such as:

• getting regular exercise;
• having a balanced diet;
• managing stress;
• sleeping well;
• not smoking;
• drinking alcohol in moderation.

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are common and can have serious long-term consequences, even when there are no symptoms. Testing is simple and accessible, even without a medical prescription; it detects risk factors early and helps us do what we need to do to protect our health.

We provide a no-prescription, accessible service to help you access tests and healthcare providers faster.

• Cardiometabolic screening

For any questions or more information about this service, contact our team at 1 855 657-5458.