A health number is climbing
Your doctor flagged a number. You do not want to end up on pills every day.
13 of the 19 executives we reviewed told us a health number was climbing. For 12 of them it came from a doctor, and 7 also talked about a parent. Here is what you can change, and how to see whether it is working.
The number climbs quietly
You feel nothing. Your annual check-up says your cholesterol is still in range, but at the upper end, and that you should keep an eye on it. A year later it is higher, your blood pressure has joined it, and you remember what happened to your father. Most executives we speak to have been in this loop for years before they act.
The numbers worth watching
Ask your doctor to go through these with you.
- LDL cholesterol and ApoB. LDL is the number most people know. ApoB counts the particles that carry it, and many clinicians find it a sharper measure of risk.
- Triglycerides. These respond strongly to alcohol, sugar and refined carbohydrates.
- HbA1c and fasting insulin. These show how well your body handles blood sugar. HbA1c reflects roughly the last three months.
- Blood pressure. Measure it at home too, because a single reading in a clinic can mislead.
- Visceral fat. This is the fat around your organs. A DEXA scan measures it, and the mirror and the scale cannot.
What usually moves them
Lose the belly. Losing body fat, especially around the waist, tends to improve triglycerides, blood pressure and blood sugar at the same time.
Eat more fibre. Oats, legumes and vegetables. Soluble fibre helps lower LDL, and most executives eat far too little of it.
Change the fats. Swap some of the cheese, butter and cured meat for olive oil, nuts and oily fish.
Reduce the alcohol. Alcohol raises triglycerides and blood pressure. You can keep the wine, in an amount and on days you decide in advance.
Train, and walk. Strength training and daily walking improve blood pressure and blood sugar control. Two 45-minute sessions a week are the base for most of our clients.
Sleep. Short sleep makes blood sugar and blood pressure harder to control, and it makes every other item on this list harder to do.
Some of it is inherited, and some people have high cholesterol whatever they do. Lifestyle can still move your overall risk, and your doctor needs to know the full picture.
One example
Hilarius, a finance executive in Zurich, rowed five times a week and still had high cholesterol. In four months he lost 10 kg and his LDL went from 3.3 to 1.9 mmol/L, a drop of 43%. That is one client's result and yours will differ. You can read his full story here.
Treat it like a KPI
Nobody at your level runs a business on one reading a year. Measure, change one thing, then test again after about three months. Our Performance Index puts your blood panel, DEXA and wearable data in one place, so you can see what moved and why.
Where the line is
We coach food, training, sleep and stress. We do not diagnose, prescribe or change medication. If your doctor has advised medication, speak to them before changing anything, and ask what they would want to see on your next test.
Sources
- Mach F et al. 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias. European Heart Journal, 2019.
- Brown L et al. Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999.
- Roerecke M et al. The effect of a reduction in alcohol consumption on blood pressure. The Lancet Public Health, 2017.
