What does your blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol, blood sugar and vitamin levels tell you about your health? Our expert will discuss how these numbers tell a story, and why it’s important to understand what that story means to your overall health. Dr. Im-Imamura will also share tips for helping you get these numbers where they should be, and how increasing physical activity and improving nutrition are key factors that can impact those numbers in a good way. Presented as part of the Madison Public Library Virtual Seminar Series.

1. Know Your Numbers and What
They Mean for Overall Health
Lauren Im-Imamura, DO
Family Medicine

2. • Blood Pressure
• BMI
• Cholesterol Numbers
• Blood Glucose and Hemoglobin A1c
• Vitamin D
• Thyroid Level
Understanding your numbers at
your annual physical exam

3. Blood Pressure
• Systolic pressure (Top
number) - Amount of
pressure on your arteries
when your heart
contracts
• Diastolic pressure
(Bottom number) -
Amount of pressure
on your arteries when
your heart relaxes

4. Blood Pressure
• Normal blood
pressure: <120 and < 80
• Elevated/Pre-hypertension:
120-129 and < 80
• Hypertension stage 1:
130-139 or 80-89
• Hypertension stage 2:
>140 or >90
• Hypertensive crisis:
>180 and/or >120

5. DASH diet
1 cup of
Broccoli and
cheddar soup
1190 mg
2 slices of
French Baguette
400 mg
<2000 mg of
sodium/day

7. Body Mass Index
• Normal: 19-24
• Overweight: 25-29
• Obese: 30-39
• Extremely Obese: >40

8. My Healthy Plate

9. Exercise
• 150 minutes of
moderate-intensity
activity / week
• 75 minutes of
vigorous activity and
2 days of strength
training / week

10. Cholesterol
• LDL: also considered BAD cholesterol. Too much
LDL contributes to fatty buildups in the arteries,
which can narrow the arteries.
• HDL: also considered GOOD cholesterol. They
remove cholesterol from the blood stream and
artery walls
• Triglycerides: most common type of fat in the
body. High triglycerides combined with high
LDL or low HDL leads to fatty buildups in the
artery wall

11. Cholesterol
• LDL + HDL + 20% triglycerides =
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL
• Target numbers:
 LDL < 130
 HDL > 60
 Triglycerides < 150

12. Cholesterol
• Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
Calculator:
• Age
• Diabetes status
• Sex
• Race
• Smoking status
• Total cholesterol
• HDL
• Systolic
blood pressure
• Treatment
for hypertension

13. Ways to Improve Cholesterol
• Decrease LDL: decrease foods low in saturated
and trans fats such as red and fatty meats; sweets
and sweetened beverages; fried foods; butter;
cheese; and foods high in sodium
• Increase HDL: increase fatty fish such as salmon,
trout, tuna, sardines; nuts and legumes; whole
grains; olive oil; lean meat without skin; and a
variety of fruits and vegetables

14. Blood Glucose
The carbohydrates and sugars in what you eat and drink
turns into glucose (sugar) in the stomach and digestive
system. Glucose can then enter the blood stream.

15. Hemoglobin A1c
A blood test that
measures your average
blood sugar levels in the
past 3 months.
• Normal: <5.7%
• Prediabetes: 5.7% -
6.4%
• Diabetes: >6.5%
• Goal for diabetics:
<7%

16. Decreasing Your Risk for Adverse Cardiac
Events and Complications from Diabetes
• Stop smoking and
decrease alcohol use
• Exercise 150 mins/week
• Improve BMI if abnormal
• Watch your diet
• Have an accountability
partner
• Make an appointment
for your annual
physical exam
• Adhere to your
medications as
instructed by your
provider

17. Vitamin D
• Vitamin D sufficiency –
>20 ng/mL
• Vitamin D insufficiency
– 12-20 ng/mL
• Vitamin D deficiency –
< 12 ng/mL
• Supplement: 800-1000
IU of Vitamin D3 daily

18. Thyroid Function
• Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
 0.45-4.5 mU/L
• Direct T4
 5-12 ng/dL
Regulates metabolic activity in almost
every organ system

19. Thyroid Function

20. References
https://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/blood-pressure-reading-explained
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dash-diet/art-
20048456
https://nutritioneducationstore.com/collections/bmi-posters
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate-vs-usda-myplate/
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-infographic
https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/health-topics/cholesterol/cholesterol-score-explained-
english.pdf?la=en
https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/health-topics/cholesterol/my-cholesterol-guide-english.pdf?la=en
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/my-life-check--lifes-simple-7/ls7-blood-sugar-
infographic
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/vitamin-d-deficiency-in-adults-definition-clinical-manifestations-and-
treatment?search=vitamin%20d&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~145&usage_type=default&dis
play_rank=1#H9
https://getnaturopathic.com/faq-naturopathic-health/faq-thyroid-health/