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Building a profile

Here are some of the basic indicators doctors use to determine a person's health. Your numbers don't have to match these exactly, but it's good to be approximate.

Lifestyle Non-smoker, regular aerobic exercise with some weight/strengthening.

Nutrition Balanced diet high in fruits and vegetables, multi-grains and breads, low in fat and processed foods.

Cholesterol 200 milligrams or less.

HDL "good" cholesterol: More than 40 milligrams is good. The higher the better because the more "good" cholesterol you have, the lower your risk of coronary heart disease.

LDL cholesterol: Less than 100 milligrams is optimal. You want this number to be low so your risk of heart disease goes down.

Glucose The amount of glucose in the blood helps diagnose diabetes. Normal is between 70 and 99.

Blood pressure 120/80 (or a little less)

Body mass index General screening tool to identify possible weight problems in adults. Women should be between 20 and 22, men between 23 and 25.

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