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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.