Heart Disease Risks Beyond Heart
A new Healthline feature highlights that cardiovascular disease risks often originate outside the heart itself. Metabolic issues like insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and poor blood sugar regulation can significantly raise heart disease risks even when traditional cardiac markers appear normal.
The American Heart Association now recognizes a condition called Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome, highlighting the deep connection between heart disease, kidney disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. This newer understanding emphasizes that cardiovascular risk is often a multi-system issue. Chronic low-grade inflammation is a key driver of atherosclerosis, the process of plaque buildup in arteries. This persistent inflammation can damage the inner lining of blood vessels, making them more susceptible to the accumulation of cholesterol and other substances long before a cardiac event occurs. Insulin resistance forces the pancreas to produce excess insulin, which can lead to thicker artery walls, an enlarged heart, and stiffer blood vessels. This condition is a hallmark of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and significantly increases cardiovascular disease risk even when blood sugar levels are not yet in the diabetic range. High blood sugar, even at levels considered "high-normal," is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. Research indicates that a one-point rise in A1c, a measure of average blood sugar, can increase the chances of having cardiovascular disease by up to 18%. The cluster of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome—which includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess waist fat, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels—can double an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease. This syndrome is present in approximately 80% of people with type 2 diabetes. Beyond traditional cholesterol tests (LDL-C), doctors are increasingly looking at other biomarkers to assess risk. Markers for inflammation like high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and measures of insulin resistance can reveal cardiovascular risk even when standard cholesterol panels appear normal.
