7 Key Ways to Optimize Cholesterol & Protect Your Heart
We care deeply about your cardiometabolic health at Dr. Katie Wellness Insights.
Our practitioners don’t just treat symptoms or make a diagnosis after the plane has taken off.
Our job is to work with you to identify patterns in your lifestyle and bloodwork before they become serious issues that necessitate procedures and pharmaceuticals. Our job is to identify risk factors for diabetes, heart attack, and stroke and reverse the damage before a life-changing diagnosis is made.
Cardiometabolic disease is the #1 cause of death for all comers, and having a handle on your risk factors especially in middle age is crucial. We use the word “cardiometabolic” to combine cardiovascular and metabolic, understanding that there is close linkage between inflammation in your blood vessels and inflammation related to excess processed carbohydrate intake.
Excessed processed carbohydrate leads to inflammation and downstream causes disruption in your blood sugar, triglycerides, liver enzymes, blood pressure, uric acid metabolism, and deposition of dangerous visceral fat around your mid-section.
Ultimately, we want to decrease inflammation in the body.
To put it simply, we decrease inflammation by
Choosing whole foods in the right macro balance of protein, fat and fiber
Choosing at least 30 minutes of zone 2 exercise (i.e. exercise that makes you a little breathless) most days along with 3-4 days per week of resistance training and one 20 minute session of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) per week
Prioritizing sleep along with space for mental/emotional stillness to decrease stress in the body
Sounds simple right?
Simple doesn’t mean easy.
Most practitioners don’t take our comprehensive, integrated approach because it’s not straightforward and quick.
We offer a different kind of doctoring: doctoring with connection and deep interpretation. This is how we approach cardiometabolic health in partnership with you.
Here are 7 key points that can help you mitigate and understand your risk for cardiometabolic disease.
1. Prioritize Protein & Fiber
Fiber supports stable blood sugar, lowers inflammation, and promotes healthy lipid levels by binding to cholesterol in the intestines which decreases absorption.
Amino acids in protein signal the intestines to release GLP-1, aiding in satiety. Adequate amino acid intake is crucial in our elder years as we can’t make proteins as easily.
High-fiber sources: Lentils, chickpeas, flaxseeds, chia seeds, avocado, berries, apples, and cruciferous vegetables.
Protein-rich sources: Wild-caught fish, organic grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, organic tofu/edamame/tempeh, and omega-3-rich eggs. Try one of our favorite heart-healthy salmon recipes.
2. Monitor ApoB and TG, Not Just LDL
ApolipoproteinB is a more precise predictor of cardiovascular disease than LDL alone, offering a clearer picture of the lipoproteins that actually drive plaque buildup. ApoB carries all of the bad types of cholesterol - not just LDL - so it’s a more useful marker to track year to year. It’s our opinion that only measuring LDL will become obsolete, and most physicians will monitor ApoB more closely.
Likewise, know your triglyceride number. If your TG is higher than your HDL or > 85, it’s a sign that your body is having difficulty with the foods you are eating.
Cholesterol levels go up because of inflammation in the body from excess processed carbohydrate intake and stress, so if your levels are starting to rise, it’s time to examine why.
3. Strength Train & Walk More
Resistance training boosts HDL (the "good" cholesterol that scavenges bad cholesterol and brings it back to the liver), while walking improves lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
Staying active throughout the day supports circulation, reduces stiffness, and benefits heart health and is more meaningful than just getting one burst of exercise once daily. Small habits—like taking the stairs or walking after meals—make a big impact.
We love strength training and encourage progressive overload (ie increasing your weight to reach muscle fatigue after 8-12 reps) to challenge your muscles. If you aren’t pushing yourself during your strength workouts, it’s time to level up.
4. Optimize Healthy Fats & Omega-3s
Unsaturated fats and omega-3s reduce inflammation and support optimal cholesterol balance by reducing triglycerides in the blood stream. Triglycerides are the type of cholesterol made from excess calorie intake and are stored for future use. Bad fats (like processed oils and fatty meat) and processed carbohydrates (like refined grains and sugar), or the combination of the two (like Doritos and prepared foods) also raise triglyceride levels.
Omega-3-rich foods: Wild-caught salmon, sardines, Alaskan mackerel, roe, anchovies, herring, trout, mussels, oysters, organ meat, and eggs. If you’re not eating sardines, you should be.
Heart-healthy fats: Extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, seeds (like flax, chia, hemp), raw nuts, and omega-3 sources. If you find these hard to get in your diet, shop one of our favorite fish oil supplements here.
5. Dial in Your Sleep
Poor sleep disrupts lipid metabolism, increasing cardiovascular risk and affecting appetite, and ultimately this leads to more inflammation in your body.Aim for 7-9 high-quality hours per night to regulate your hunger and satiety cues.
When we are rested and in alignment with our circadian rhythm (meaning we are getting morning sunlight and avoiding excess light closer to bedtime), our cortisol and ghrelin signals, which help maintain satiety, function properly. Learn more about sleep here.
6. Check Your Calcium Score
A coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan is a CT that measures hardened arterial plaque. If your LDL and ApoB are high but CAC is zero, you may need more advanced testing to evaluate for soft plaque. If ApoB and CAC are high, it's time to act.
7. Go Beyond a Standard Lipid Panel
To fully understand your heart health we recommend testing at least twice a year, especially around the time of changing hormones. If you are actively making changes, then testing labs every 3 months may be more appropriate.
Here are the key markers we test:
ApoB – Key marker for cardiovascular risk and carrier of bad cholesterol that rises in response to inflammation
Lp(a) – Genetic risk factor often missed that significantly increases risk of heart attack and stroke
hs-CRP – Early marker specific to cardiac inflammation
LpPLA2 - Later marker specific to cardiac inflammation
HemoglobinA1C - Reflects the last 3 months of glucose control
Fasting Insulin – Crucial for metabolic health, as fasting insulin levels rise when the body is overwhelmed with sugar intake
Omega-3 Index – Low levels are associated with higher risk of cardiometabolic disease
Homocysteine – Linked to arterial damage and positively influenced by B vitamin intake, especially if you have a genetic methylation defect
Uric Acid - Higher levels are linked with the development of metabolic syndrome and directly related to dietary choices
If you haven't had these tested, talk with our team.
At Dr. Katie Wellness Insights, we don't just treat symptoms—we help you take control of your health before problems arise.
Working with us gives you:
A dedicated care team to coordinate your health year-round
Advanced diagnostics to give you a complete picture of your cardiometabolic health
Personalized nutrition and lifestyle guidance based on your biomarkers
If you want to take a proactive approach to heart health—but don't want to do it alone—Dr. Katie Wellness Insights is the best place to start.
