If you’ve recently attended a community health screening, you probably received your “numbers” after taking several different screenings. Here’s how to interpret some of those numbers:

Percentage Body Fat
Body Mass Index (BMI) Numbers
Cholesterol Levels
Blood Pressure
Blood Glucose Levels



What Your Body Fat Number Means
Percentage Body Fat – the approximate percentage of your body that is composed of fat.

Body Fat Recommendations - Men

Body Fat Recommendations - Women

Fat Weight – the actual number of fat pounds based on your percentage of fat and total body weight.

Lean Weight – fat-free weight (the combined weight of your muscles, bones and other body fluids and parts)

Total Body Water – a calculation based on your fat weight and lean weight. Studies show that fat tissue contains about 4 to 8 percent water and lean tissue contains about 73 percent water.

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What Your Body Mass Index Number Means
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a mathematical calculation used for estimating body structure. Elevated BMIs have been associated with increased rates for health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

For more information about BMI, including BMI myths and a BMI calculator, please visit the Centers for Disease Control.

• Scale weight can be deceptive. Because muscle tissue contains so much water, it is actually heavier than fat. A person with more muscle will have a higher scale weight, but may have a low percentage of body fat.
• Muscle burns more energy, or calories, than fat. Those with more muscle generally have a higher metabolism and can consume more calories. They burn more calories every day – even when sleeping.
• Thinness does not necessarily guarantee leanness. Many thin people have very little muscle because they do not exercise. These people often have surprisingly high body fat results.

• Not only does a lean and trim body feel and look good, it is much healthier. People with high amounts of body fat are at a greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, muscle and joint problems.
• By increasing your lean weight and decreasing your fat weight, your body composition and body fat percentage will improve. Cutting calories may help reduce fat weight, but without exercise does nothing to improve the amount of lean weight.
• A combination of regular exercise to increase lean weight and a low-fat diet to decrease fat weight will provide the best results.
  

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What Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean
Look at the tests that can affect the risk. Their levels are expressed as milligrams of lipid per deciliter of blood (mg/dL).

Total Cholesterol – Everyone should know their total cholesterol because it provides a rough estimate of the risk of heart disease. Cholesterol is transported through the blood stream in the form of lipoprotein, which is a lipid plus protein carrier.

The main components of your Total Cholesterol level include the amount of cholesterol carried by HDL (high-density protein) and LDL (low-density protein). The total cholesterol measurement, however, does not give a specific value for each lipoprotein. The total cholesterol test can be used for two purposes: to screen for heart disease risk or to monitor lipid-lowering therapy.

Total cholesterol levels can be classified as follows:

HDL Cholesterol – HDL-C is often called the “good” cholesterol because higher HDL levels are generally associated with a lower incidence of heart disease. HDL-C is believed to take excess cholesterol away from coronary arteries and prevent them from becoming clogged. The more HDL cholesterol a person has, the better.

HDL cholesterol levels can be classified as follows:

LDL Cholesterol – LDL-C is known as the “bad” cholesterol because too much of it will clog the arteries in the heart. Clogged coronary arteries cause heart attacks. LDL cholesterol can be calculated by using the following formula:

LDL = Total Cholesterol – (Triglyceride/ 5 + HDL)

LDL cholesterol levels can be classified as follows:

Triglyceride – Triglyceride is a lipid that helps store fat in the body. High triglyceride levels can cause inflammation of the pancreas and elevated levels of triglyceride may play a role in heart disease.

Triglyceride levels can be classified as follows:

Changes that can help reduce the risk of heart disease:

• Stop smoking. Smoking lowers HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Smoking in itself is a major risk factor for heart disease.
• Change eating habits. Low fat, low-cholesterol eating lowers all your lipid levels.
• Lose weight. A healthy, low fat diet reduces weight and helps lipids, too.
• Start exercising. An active lifestyle helps to lower total lipid count. Staying trim and fit gives you energy, too!
• Monitor cholesterol levels. Using a lipid profile, doctors can carefully observe serum lipid levels.

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What Your Blood Pressure Numbers Mean
Blood pressure is the force of your blood against the walls of your arteries. It is normal for your blood pressure to fluctuate (it's high when you first wake up or when you're nervous or excited, and low when you're resting or sleeping).

The problem is, there are no symptoms of high blood pressure. That's why it is important for you to know your blood pressure.

A normal reading consists of two figures: the top is your systolic pressure (pressure in the vessels during a heartbeat) and the bottom is your diastolic pressure (pressure at the heart rests between beats). Your blood pressure changes from minute to minute, with changes in posture, exercise or activity, but it should normally be less than 120/80 mm Hg for an adult, assuming you don't smoke and aren't overweight.

The American Heart Association recommends the following blood pressure levels, but only your doctor can tell what is normal for you.

How can you lower your blood pressure?

• If you are overweight, try to reduce your weight. High blood pressure is twice as common in heavy people.
• Switch to a low-fat diet to lower the cholesterol build up in your arteries.
• Add more calcium to your diet.
• Throw out  your salt shaker and avoid foods that taste salty. Most canned foods are loaded with salt.
• Add a regular program of aerobic exercise to your daily life.
  

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What Your Blood Glucose Levels Mean

Glucose levels are tested to detect diabetes and pre-diabetes. The two types of testing are the fasting blood test or the oral glucose tolerance test.

 The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

A person fasts for 10 to 12 hours, then drinks a special glucose drink. A blood test is done two hours later. A normal level two hours after the glucose drink is 139 mg/dl or lower.

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