Do You Know Your Heart Numbers?

Your PIN number, your password. You can't operate without them.

Add high blood pressure , cholesterol , and body fat to that list, too. You can't live without those numbers -- literally.

High numbers = high odds of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Some risk is inherited. But much is linked to things you can change -- like bad diet, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle.

To better understand your heart numbers, here are the basics:

C-Reactive Protein

This is new on the heart numbers list. Researchers have identified this protein as a marker for heart disease and stroke -- even in kids.

They don't fully understand the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and heart disease, but it's a sign of inflammation in the blood vessels.

Getting your CRP checked is not yet a routine recommendation. However, more and more doctors are using it to help identify people who may be at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Numbers to worry about:

•  1.0 and less is considered normal.

•  1.0 to 3.0 mg/dL is increased risk.

•  3.0 to 10.0 mg/dL is high risk.

If you have a family history of heart disease, without a lot of other risk factors, you may have high C-reactive protein -- you may have inherited it.

Blood Pressure

One of the strongest markers for heart disease is measured in two numbers - your blood pressure. You hear the numbers, but do you know what they mean?

The first or top number is systolic blood pressure -- the pressure of blood against artery walls during a heartbeat, when the heart is pumping blood.

The second number is diastolic blood pressure - the pressure of blood against artery walls between heartbeats, when the heart is filling with blood.

•  Normal blood pressure is 119/79 mmHg or below .

•  Pre-hypertension is 120 to 139 (systolic) and/or 80 to 89 (diastolic) mmHg .

Do these numbers seem a bit lower than you remember? What's considered a normal blood pressure was redefined in May of 2003 when guidelines were revised to include a new category -- prehypertension.

Experts recommend that people with prehypertension -- an estimated 45 million men and women -- make heart-healthy lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of blood pressure complications, such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage.

Cholesterol

Probably the most familiar heart disease risk factor, cholesterol is a type of fat that is an essential nutrient for your body. However, too much cholesterol - or not enough of the good type of cholesterol -- floating around in your blood increases your risk for hardening of the arteries that can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Cholesterol is considered abnormal when:

•  Total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or higher .

•  HDL or "good" cholesterol level is less than 40 mg/dL

•  LDL or "bad" cholesterol is 160 mg/dL or higher -- with 190 and above being very high . However, the lower the LDL, the better. An LDL less than 100 is considered optimal; 100 to 129 is near optimal; 130 to 159 is borderline high.