St. Mary's Medical Center

Summer 2017

Spirit of Women magazine is a national publication presented to women by hospitals and their physicians. The magazine provides up-to-date, evidence-based healthcare information and promotes our hospitals as leaders in women's health excellence.

Issue link: https://spiritofwomen.epubxp.com/i/846880

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 18 of 31

19 w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 | S P I R I T O F W O M E N Know his numbers Certain health numbers are important to track so the men in your life can monitor their health from year to year and stay motivated to take of themselves by, for example, eating a plant-based diet, losing weight if they need to, and exercising regularly. Here's a checkup checklist to make sure he—and you—get the information that will help both of you monitor his health status. » Blood cholesterol: To get accurate blood cholesterol results—LDL ("bad" cholesterol), HDL ("good" cholesterol), triglycerides and total cholesterol—he will need to fast, typically for nine to 12 hours, before the cholesterol test. That means no eating and drinking, other than water, after midnight for a morning test. The target numbers to aim for are under 200 for total cholesterol, under 100 for LDL, over 40 for HDL, and under 150 for triglycerides. » Blood pressure: 120/80 is considered normal. » Fasting blood glucose: This number should be 70 to 99. If he has been diagnosed with diabetes, his HbA1c (average blood sugar over two to three months) should be less than 7 percent. » Waist circumference: For men, smaller than 40 inches is optimal. » Body mass index (BMI): 18.6 to 24.9 is ideal.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of St. Mary's Medical Center - Summer 2017