Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays.

Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays.

Now, we all know the importance of.

Now, we all know the importance of.

Going to the doctor and getting regular health checkups, particularly as you get older, and especially as you hit my aage north of fifty. But what are the most important markers to actually look at? So today I'm going to talk about what I think and this is my personal opinion, But what I think are these six most important bio markers in terms of your long term health. And five of them are interconnected, and in one of them stands alone. So the five that are interconnected are constituents of what's called the metabolic syndrome. Now you may have heard of metabolic syndrome, and recent research has shown that about thirty five percent or more of Australians have metabolic syndrome, and I'm sure that data is very similar in most developed nations, and worse in the UK and particularly in the USA. So the metabolic center, why is it an issue? Well, basically it means your metabolism is broken. And we know that people who have metabolic syndrome have really significantly increased risks of cardiovascular disease, which is the biggest killer of also type two diabetes, which is a big killer, but they also have massively increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. And I've talked about before dementia is now the second biggest killer of all Australians and is soon in the next few years predicted to be the first. But if you have metabolic syndrome, it also significantly increases your risk of non alcoholic fatty.

Going to the doctor and getting regular health checkups, particularly as you get older, and especially as you hit my aage north of fifty. But what are the most important markers to actually look at? So today I'm going to talk about what I think and this is my personal opinion, But what I think are these six most important bio markers in terms of your long term health. And five of them are interconnected, and in one of them stands alone. So the five that are interconnected are constituents of what's called the metabolic syndrome. Now you may have heard of metabolic syndrome, and recent research has shown that about thirty five percent or more of Australians have metabolic syndrome, and I'm sure that data is very similar in most developed nations, and worse in the UK and particularly in the USA. So the metabolic center, why is it an issue? Well, basically it means your metabolism is broken. And we know that people who have metabolic syndrome have really significantly increased risks of cardiovascular disease, which is the biggest killer of also type two diabetes, which is a big killer, but they also have massively increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. And I've talked about before dementia is now the second biggest killer of all Australians and is soon in the next few years predicted to be the first. But if you have metabolic syndrome, it also significantly increases your risk of non alcoholic fatty.

Liver disease which causes a whole.

Liver disease which causes a whole.

Heap of complications, and chronic kidney disease, as well as a number of different cancers pcos as, sleep, apnea, and the list goes on. So this for me is the one thing that everybody needs to look out for, and particularly as we get older, as our risk our incidents dramatically increases with age. And so the metabolic syndrome is basically three from five. Now, there are different definitions of it from different places around the world.

Heap of complications, and chronic kidney disease, as well as a number of different cancers pcos as, sleep, apnea, and the list goes on. So this for me is the one thing that everybody needs to look out for, and particularly as we get older, as our risk our incidents dramatically increases with age. And so the metabolic syndrome is basically three from five. Now, there are different definitions of it from different places around the world.

I'm going to use the Australian definition.

I'm going to use the Australian definition.

It's three from five of the following high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high hats DL I sorry, low fast and low hats DL, the good cholesterol and inverted commas, high fasting glucose and what's called central obesity.

It's three from five of the following high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high hats DL I sorry, low fast and low hats DL, the good cholesterol and inverted commas, high fasting glucose and what's called central obesity.

So let's go through those ones one by one.

So let's go through those ones one by one.

So the first one is blood pressure, and high blood pressure is defined in terms of the metabolic syndrome as having a systolic the top number of greater or equal to one hundred and thirty milim also of mercury or eighty five or more for your diastolic. So the systemic that's the pressure in your artery walls when the heart is beating, and then when the heart is relaxing, that's your diastolic number that eighty five. So either one of those consistently above those. That is saying high blood pressure. Now just another thing. When you go in to get the doctor, and you walk in to the waiting room, you see and then you come into the doctor's office, you sit down and take your blood pressure straight away. That is not a true reflection because you've been up, you've been walking around. Really to get a true reflection, you should be have been sitting down for at least fifteen minutes. Ideally, have no caffeine. If you're concerned about blood pressure, I recommend it you get a blood pressure monitor and you test it at home, and if there is an issue, you really want to get it checked properly before you jump to any conclusions, and be a word that some people suffer from what's called white coat hyphe pertension. So as soon as they say a white coat, as soon as somebody's measuring the blood pressure, it can go up. So that's why taking it consistently over a period of fifteen minutes or so when you're seated are half line is the best way to measure your blood pressure. Then let's talk about triglycerides. So high triglycerides are defined as more than one point seven millimals per liter or if you're American, one hundred and fifty milligrams per desileter, So those two scales, they're different in different countries. So one point seven minimals per leater are one hundred and fifty milligrams per desti leader. Triglycerides are a sign of excess energy in the bloodstream and can also be a sign of insulin resistance. So that's why it's really important, and that triglyceraids goes hand in hand with HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol. So the cutoffs here from the metabolic syndrome perspective are less than one milli mole per lider for men, which is about thirty nine milligrams per desolater in the other language, or for females is less than one point three, which is fifty milligrams per destily, so one point three milli moles per lider or one or fifty milligrams per destolat and again, and particularly as it interacts with treglycerides, this can be a sign of insulin resistance that causes widespread damage throughout the body. Then we have fasting glucose of more than five point five milli moles per lider, so this is after an overnight fast or in the other language, ninety nine milligrams per desilet. Sometimes they use one hundred just for ease. So what is really important to understand is glucose is the last thing that tends to go awry in terms of the metabolic syndrome. So some people think that they get loaded into a false sense of security because may have high blood pressure, they may have central obesity, but they think, hey, I'm not too bad because my blood sugar is okay.

So the first one is blood pressure, and high blood pressure is defined in terms of the metabolic syndrome as having a systolic the top number of greater or equal to one hundred and thirty milim also of mercury or eighty five or more for your diastolic. So the systemic that's the pressure in your artery walls when the heart is beating, and then when the heart is relaxing, that's your diastolic number that eighty five. So either one of those consistently above those. That is saying high blood pressure. Now just another thing. When you go in to get the doctor, and you walk in to the waiting room, you see and then you come into the doctor's office, you sit down and take your blood pressure straight away. That is not a true reflection because you've been up, you've been walking around. Really to get a true reflection, you should be have been sitting down for at least fifteen minutes. Ideally, have no caffeine. If you're concerned about blood pressure, I recommend it you get a blood pressure monitor and you test it at home, and if there is an issue, you really want to get it checked properly before you jump to any conclusions, and be a word that some people suffer from what's called white coat hyphe pertension. So as soon as they say a white coat, as soon as somebody's measuring the blood pressure, it can go up. So that's why taking it consistently over a period of fifteen minutes or so when you're seated are half line is the best way to measure your blood pressure. Then let's talk about triglycerides. So high triglycerides are defined as more than one point seven millimals per liter or if you're American, one hundred and fifty milligrams per desileter, So those two scales, they're different in different countries. So one point seven minimals per leater are one hundred and fifty milligrams per desti leader. Triglycerides are a sign of excess energy in the bloodstream and can also be a sign of insulin resistance. So that's why it's really important, and that triglyceraids goes hand in hand with HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol. So the cutoffs here from the metabolic syndrome perspective are less than one milli mole per lider for men, which is about thirty nine milligrams per desolater in the other language, or for females is less than one point three, which is fifty milligrams per destily, so one point three milli moles per lider or one or fifty milligrams per destolat and again, and particularly as it interacts with treglycerides, this can be a sign of insulin resistance that causes widespread damage throughout the body. Then we have fasting glucose of more than five point five milli moles per lider, so this is after an overnight fast or in the other language, ninety nine milligrams per desilet. Sometimes they use one hundred just for ease. So what is really important to understand is glucose is the last thing that tends to go awry in terms of the metabolic syndrome. So some people think that they get loaded into a false sense of security because may have high blood pressure, they may have central obesity, but they think, hey, I'm not too bad because my blood sugar is okay.

That is the last to go.

That is the last to go.

The other component that we talked about was central obesity, so that's high waste circumference. So the cutoffs used for this, again they vary, but the Australian money is for men more than ninety four centimeters. And this is not when you're sucking in your gut. This is you take a breath in, your breathe out, your relax your gut and you measure generally around the umbilical cord, are the umbilical cord, the belly button. That's the kind of measurement looking at making sure you're getting it straight all the way around. And then for women it's more than eighty centimeters. And there are some different cutoffs, particularly for people for with Central Asian are East Asian and Chinese and Central and South American descent, and they're saying and actually the cutoff for me and should be ninety centimeters rather than ninety four centimeters. So there are a few individual differences. So together three of those five things means that your metabolism is starting to fall apart. And most chronic diseases, particularly the big killers the ones I talked about, cardiovascu disease, type two diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and all alcoholic fatly liver disease, some forms of cancer, dimension cognitive decline your risk of those goes through the roof if you have the metabolic syndrome. Now, let's talk about the other blood biomarker that I feel is really really important, and this, for me, is the single most nutricio, the most important nutritional signal that we should be looking at, and it's something called your Amiga three index. Now, you will not get this tested from the doctor. You've got to go get it done privately. But it's actually pretty cheap and go to an amigaquant dot com.

The other component that we talked about was central obesity, so that's high waste circumference. So the cutoffs used for this, again they vary, but the Australian money is for men more than ninety four centimeters. And this is not when you're sucking in your gut. This is you take a breath in, your breathe out, your relax your gut and you measure generally around the umbilical cord, are the umbilical cord, the belly button. That's the kind of measurement looking at making sure you're getting it straight all the way around. And then for women it's more than eighty centimeters. And there are some different cutoffs, particularly for people for with Central Asian are East Asian and Chinese and Central and South American descent, and they're saying and actually the cutoff for me and should be ninety centimeters rather than ninety four centimeters. So there are a few individual differences. So together three of those five things means that your metabolism is starting to fall apart. And most chronic diseases, particularly the big killers the ones I talked about, cardiovascu disease, type two diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and all alcoholic fatly liver disease, some forms of cancer, dimension cognitive decline your risk of those goes through the roof if you have the metabolic syndrome. Now, let's talk about the other blood biomarker that I feel is really really important, and this, for me, is the single most nutricio, the most important nutritional signal that we should be looking at, and it's something called your Amiga three index. Now, you will not get this tested from the doctor. You've got to go get it done privately. But it's actually pretty cheap and go to an amigaquant dot com.

I got no association with these guys.

I got no association with these guys.

I just love their testing because what has been shown quite robustly in the research is that people who have an Amiga three index of eight percent or more live five years longer than people with an Amiga three index of five or less. Now, you show me one other nutritional signal that actually determines a longevity difference of five years. For me, this is the most important in terms of nutritional signals, is that a Mega three index. And interestingly, most Americans have an a Mega three index of five or below. And in Japan the average Amiga three index is et And they eat a bucket load of fish and they just happened to live five years longer than Americans. Now that's not what this where the study actually came from. This was a study looking at a whole bunch of people independently of that, but we see that backed up in the observational evidence of longevity.

I just love their testing because what has been shown quite robustly in the research is that people who have an Amiga three index of eight percent or more live five years longer than people with an Amiga three index of five or less. Now, you show me one other nutritional signal that actually determines a longevity difference of five years. For me, this is the most important in terms of nutritional signals, is that a Mega three index. And interestingly, most Americans have an a Mega three index of five or below. And in Japan the average Amiga three index is et And they eat a bucket load of fish and they just happened to live five years longer than Americans. Now that's not what this where the study actually came from. This was a study looking at a whole bunch of people independently of that, but we see that backed up in the observational evidence of longevity.

So you're a Mega three index.

So you're a Mega three index.

That is basically the proportion of these long chain omega threes, epa and dita of all fatty acids in your red blood membranes.

That is basically the proportion of these long chain omega threes, epa and dita of all fatty acids in your red blood membranes.

Now why red blood cells.

Now why red blood cells.

This is the equivalent the Amiga three index is the equivalent of HITESBA one c for glucose. So if you get your fast in glucose, that's a snapshot in time of one particular morning. It can be influenced by your stress, your sleep levels, all of those things. But HITESBA one c is a measure of it over three months, which is a much better measure. Likewise, a Mega three index is actually a measure of it in your red blood cells that tend to have a life of about three months, so that is the reflection of the last three months.

This is the equivalent the Amiga three index is the equivalent of HITESBA one c for glucose. So if you get your fast in glucose, that's a snapshot in time of one particular morning. It can be influenced by your stress, your sleep levels, all of those things. But HITESBA one c is a measure of it over three months, which is a much better measure. Likewise, a Mega three index is actually a measure of it in your red blood cells that tend to have a life of about three months, so that is the reflection of the last three months.

So it's a much more steable.

So it's a much more steable.

Measure than just getting a Mega three from traditional blood. This actually takes it from your red blood cells and that's really really critical. And you can get the basic test from a mega quant, or you can get a more in depth test of your fatty acids, and I love that test. It also looks at your Amiga six to Amiga three ratio, which again is another important measure. Most people have too much Amiga six. We need a fair amount of Amiga six, but too much of them start to become pro inflammatory. So I highly recommend you jump onto a mega quant and order the tests. Maybe you can get the more complex tests the first time and then just go back to the basic test, But for me, are the real things that you want to look at, and just going to your doctor getting your standard bloods and getting a measurement of your waste circumference and that will tell you whether or not you have metabolic syndrome. And then for a small additional cost, I think it's about sixty five Ousie dollars, you can get your Amiga three index measured at a mega quant.

Measure than just getting a Mega three from traditional blood. This actually takes it from your red blood cells and that's really really critical. And you can get the basic test from a mega quant, or you can get a more in depth test of your fatty acids, and I love that test. It also looks at your Amiga six to Amiga three ratio, which again is another important measure. Most people have too much Amiga six. We need a fair amount of Amiga six, but too much of them start to become pro inflammatory. So I highly recommend you jump onto a mega quant and order the tests. Maybe you can get the more complex tests the first time and then just go back to the basic test, But for me, are the real things that you want to look at, and just going to your doctor getting your standard bloods and getting a measurement of your waste circumference and that will tell you whether or not you have metabolic syndrome. And then for a small additional cost, I think it's about sixty five Ousie dollars, you can get your Amiga three index measured at a mega quant.

So some people.

So some people.

May actually ask, and I get askest all the time, is that why don't put a lot of emphasis on LDL Because there's a lot of emphasis placed on LDL. I actually think LDL cholesterol by itself is a pretty poor measure, a poor proxy of your cardiovascular disease risk. I've seen research studies published at showing that half of all patients who have a heart attack have normal levels of LDL cholesterol. And then there's a study that was published at UCLA Health that showed that seventy five percent of patients who were hospitalized for a heart attack had normal levels of cholesterol. Right now, this was a number of years ago, this study, and you know what their conclusion was. The conclusion was the guidelines for people are clearly not low enough. We should be driving it lower. So that's one way of looking at it. The other way of looking at it is that LDL cholesterol in and of itself is not causative of heart disease. And there's lots of debate about this online. You will hear lots of different opinions, even from highly seasoned health professionals and cardiologists. I don't think that LDL and of itself is causative. We know things measures like APO B are much more predictive and LDL particle size, So just so you know your LDL has different particle size. We know that small dense LDL is this stuff that is athrogenic and big fluffy LDL is not pathogenic at all, and some people even say that it might be protective. So you do not know from a typical LDL test that you get at your doctor what your particle size is. So if you want to go down that route in terms of looking at cholesterol, I highly recommend that you get some of the more in depth analysis looking at your particle size, and particularly then LP LITTLEA and apole B. That's Apo capital B and it stands for apple lipper protein B and that is basically a protein that transports lipids around and that's involving both cholesterol and tricless rides, and so that is a better measure of your overall cardiovascular risk. But I think that metabolic syndrome has got much bigger implications.

May actually ask, and I get askest all the time, is that why don't put a lot of emphasis on LDL Because there's a lot of emphasis placed on LDL. I actually think LDL cholesterol by itself is a pretty poor measure, a poor proxy of your cardiovascular disease risk. I've seen research studies published at showing that half of all patients who have a heart attack have normal levels of LDL cholesterol. And then there's a study that was published at UCLA Health that showed that seventy five percent of patients who were hospitalized for a heart attack had normal levels of cholesterol. Right now, this was a number of years ago, this study, and you know what their conclusion was. The conclusion was the guidelines for people are clearly not low enough. We should be driving it lower. So that's one way of looking at it. The other way of looking at it is that LDL cholesterol in and of itself is not causative of heart disease. And there's lots of debate about this online. You will hear lots of different opinions, even from highly seasoned health professionals and cardiologists. I don't think that LDL and of itself is causative. We know things measures like APO B are much more predictive and LDL particle size, So just so you know your LDL has different particle size. We know that small dense LDL is this stuff that is athrogenic and big fluffy LDL is not pathogenic at all, and some people even say that it might be protective. So you do not know from a typical LDL test that you get at your doctor what your particle size is. So if you want to go down that route in terms of looking at cholesterol, I highly recommend that you get some of the more in depth analysis looking at your particle size, and particularly then LP LITTLEA and apole B. That's Apo capital B and it stands for apple lipper protein B and that is basically a protein that transports lipids around and that's involving both cholesterol and tricless rides, and so that is a better measure of your overall cardiovascular risk. But I think that metabolic syndrome has got much bigger implications.

For a wide variety of diseases. So there we have it.

For a wide variety of diseases. So there we have it.

That is my personal opinions, not medical advice, but my personal opinion on what I think are the most six most important biomarkers in terms of your long term health. Hopefully that's useful. That's it for this week. Catch you next time, folks.

That is my personal opinions, not medical advice, but my personal opinion on what I think are the most six most important biomarkers in terms of your long term health. Hopefully that's useful. That's it for this week. Catch you next time, folks.