Heart Health: 5 Numbers That Reveal Your Real Risk

When we think about heart health, most people think about symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, or fatigue.

The problem is that cardiovascular disease rarely announces itself early. Most of the damage happens quietly, over years, inside the blood vessels that supply the heart, brain, and other vital organs.

At PartnerMD, our physicians take a proactive approach to heart health, helping patients understand the numbers that matter most and what they mean for long-term cardiovascular risk.

That’s why heart health isn’t something you can judge by how you feel alone. It’s something you understand by knowing a few key numbers.

These five numbers aren’t just lab values. They’re measurable signals that help reveal your true cardiovascular risk long before symptoms appear.

1. Blood pressure: The risk you may not feel

Blood pressure is one of the most important and most underestimated predictors of heart disease.

Every time your heart beats, it sends a pressure wave through your arteries. When blood pressure stays elevated, those waves stress the vessel walls. Over time, that stress damages the artery lining and increases the likelihood of plaque formation, heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases.

The challenge is that most people do not feel high blood pressure until it is quite elevated.

Ideally, blood pressure should be around 120 over 70. Slightly higher numbers may not require medication right away, but the goal is to understand where you are and monitor trends over time. Persistently elevated readings increase cardiovascular risk, even in people who feel healthy.

Regular monitoring matters. Every adult should have blood pressure checked periodically, and if you are ever told it is high, follow it closely until it is well controlled.

How to improve blood pressure

• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which naturally increases potassium intake.

• Reduce sodium, especially from packaged and restaurant foods.

• Move your body most days of the week.

• Work toward a healthier body weight over time.

2. Cholesterol: How LDL builds plaque over time

Cholesterol plays a central role in plaque formation inside the arteries. Among cholesterol measures, LDL cholesterol is the most directly linked to cardiovascular risk.

The higher the LDL level, the more cholesterol particles circulate in the bloodstream, increasing the likelihood that they will penetrate the vessel walls and contribute to plaque. Over time, this plaque can narrow arteries, rupture, and cause heart attacks or strokes.

In more advanced preventive care, additional markers can further refine risk:

• ApoB, which counts the number of atherogenic particles.

• Non-HDL cholesterol, which captures all cholesterol contributing to risk.

• Lp(a), an inherited cholesterol-related marker that can help clarify risk, especially with a strong family history.

If you know your LDL, that is an excellent starting point. If you have access to more advanced testing, these additional numbers can help sharpen risk assessment and guide earlier intervention.

How to improve cholesterol

• Emphasize fiber-rich foods such as vegetables, legumes, and whole foods.

• Limit highly refined carbohydrates and excess saturated fat.

• Stay physically active to support lipid metabolism.

• Address weight gain and insulin resistance when present.

• Use medication when appropriate, based on overall risk and clinical guidance.

3. Blood sugar: The metabolic accelerator of heart disease

Blood sugar is often discussed only in the context of diabetes, but it is also a major cardiovascular risk signal.

Chronically elevated blood sugar reflects insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction. This environment accelerates inflammation inside blood vessels and promotes more aggressive plaque formation.

A normal fasting blood sugar is below 100 milligrams per deciliter. Staying in that range reduces strain on blood vessels and lowers long-term cardiovascular risk.

How to improve blood sugar

• Maintain regular physical activity to improve insulin sensitivity.

• Prioritize adequate sleep and stress management.

• Focus on balanced meals with protein, produce, and fiber.

• Address excess body fat, especially around the midsection.

• Monitor trends over time rather than isolated readings.

4. Waist circumference and body fat distribution

Body fat matters for heart health, but where that fat is stored matters even more.

Fat carried around the midsection, known as visceral fat, is particularly harmful. It interferes with insulin signaling, increases inflammation, and raises the risk of high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and diabetes.

Waist circumference is one of the simplest ways to estimate this risk. Measuring around the belly button, parallel to the floor, provides a useful snapshot of metabolic health.

As a general goal:

• Waist circumference should be less than half your height in inches.

• Or less than 35 inches for women.

• 40 inches for men, whichever is lower.

Body weight and BMI can provide additional context, but waist circumference often offers more meaningful insight into cardiovascular risk.

How to improve waist circumference

• Focus on sustainable nutrition rather than rapid weight loss.

• Combine regular movement with strength and aerobic activity.

• Avoid relying on the scale alone to judge progress.

• Aim for gradual, lasting changes rather than short-term fixes.

5. Family history and inherited risk

This final “number” is not a lab value, but it is just as measurable and often overlooked.

Your family history provides insight into the genetic risk you carry. If close relatives experienced heart attacks or strokes at younger ages, that information changes how aggressively we should evaluate and manage your risk, even if your other numbers look acceptable.

In some cases, a strong family history justifies more advanced screening, such as imaging of the coronary arteries, to look for early plaque before symptoms develop.

Genetics plays a meaningful role in cardiovascular risk, making family history essential context for interpreting every other number.

How to act on family history

• Learn which relatives were affected and at what age.

• Share this information with your physician.

• Consider earlier screening when family risk is high.

• Use family history to guide prevention, not fear.

Putting the numbers together

These five numbers work together. Elevated blood pressure stresses arteries. LDL cholesterol builds plaque. Blood sugar and visceral fat accelerate damage. Family history sets the baseline risk.

Some of these numbers can be measured at home. Others require lab testing or a conversation with your physician. They’re most powerful when interpreted together, not in isolation.

If you do not know your numbers, start by finding them. If they are not where they should be, improvement does not always require medication. Lifestyle changes, education, and health coaching can make a meaningful difference, especially when addressed early.

Knowing your numbers is a powerful first step, but understanding what to do with them requires the right kind of primary care. Our Primary Care Checkup is a quick online assessment designed to help you evaluate your current care, identify gaps, and see whether a more proactive, prevention-focused approach may be right for you. Take the Primary Care Checkup to learn more.