Following is a brief description of the parameters measured in the Danish Athlete Study in the assessment of risk for cardiovascular disease, and how these factors affect health.

This is a measure of the amount of glucose circulating in the blood after an 8-hour fast. Increases in fasting glucose levels are detected in both type I and type II diabetes and during the stage before these diseases become full-blown. Increases can also be seen in a condition called Syndrome X, also known as the Metabolic Syndrome. Syndrome X is a combination of excess weight and dysglycemia - due to insulin resistance. When insulin resistance occurs, the cells are unable to absorb the glucose circulating in the blood despite an adequate production of insulin. Syndrome X can lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases along with other inflammatory problems.

Increased insulin levels, except in type I diabetes where very little insulin is produced due to pancreatic damage, usually accompany increased glucose levels. High insulin levels can lead to other problems such as increased fat deposition, lowered oxidation rate of fats for metabolic purposes and a direct production of saturated fats from glucose. High insulin levels also impact the production of eicosanoids, decreasing the production of series-1 eicosanoids from DGLA with a resulting increase in the amounts of AA and the production of series-2 eicosanoids. This can cause increased inflammation, increased clumping of platelets with resulting blood clots, and arterial constriction which increases blood pressure. All of the above are definitely harmful to one's health.

Increased glucose levels can also lead to the conversion of glucose into other sugars, such as sorbitol. This is one of the primary factors in the development of neurological damage seen in uncontrolled diabetes, where these sugars fuse with various structures in the body, thus altering their functioning.

Hemoglobin A1c is the scientific name for glycosylated hemoglobin: that is, hemoglobin (from the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body) which has fused with glucose and some of the other sugars formed when glucose levels are too high. Glycosylated hemoglobin is evidently not very effective at transporting oxygen.

All health problems involving increases in glucose levels will cause increases in HbA1c, especially with type I and II diabetes and Syndrome X. HbA1c is in fact a better measure of glycemic control than are measurements of fasting and non-fasting glucose levels, unless many of the latter are done over a long period of time. HbA1c gives some indication about glycemic control over the last 120 days, since the red blood cells and the hemoglobin they contain have an average life span of l20 days. Therefore if the hemoglobin in a red blood cell fuses with glucose, it can be measured up to 120 days later.

Lipoprotein a - Lp(a) - is involved in depositing oxidized LDL-cholesterol on the inside of the arteries and is thus involved in arteriosclerosis. Lp(a) is considered at least as important a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease as LDL-cholesterol itself.

Fibrinogen can be converted into the protein fibrin, which is involved in blood clotting, such as when blood clots cause strokes, or when bleeding stops through the formation of a scab on the outside of a wound or cut. Fibrin creates a net, so to speak, which catches platelets and other solids found in the blood until a completely impermeable barrier is created. Too high levels of fibrinogen can increase the risk of blood clots. However, too low levels of fibrinogen can prevent bleeding from stopping.

Triglycerides are fats circulating in the blood. Technically speaking a triglyceride consists of 3 fatty acids bound to a glycerol backbone. These three fatty acids found in the triglyceride can have an either positive or negative impact on health. If the three fatty acids are mono- or polyunsaturated, then the triglyceride can actually contribute to better health. But if the three fatty acids are all saturated animal fats or trans fats, then the triglyceride can have the opposite effect: it is detrimental to health. The current assumption is that high levels of triglyceride increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases. However, since some type of fatty acids in the triglycerides improve health while others are detrimental to health, we should consider the type of fatty acids found in triglycerides, instead of merely looking at the total amount of triglycerides.

This is just what it says: A measure of the total cholesterol content in the blood, including the cholesterol found in Lp(a), HDL and LDL vehicles, as well as other lipoproteins (proteins in blood carrying various fats). Total cholesterol used to be considered a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However other factors such as the amounts of HDL- and LDL-cholesterol as well as whether the cholesterol is oxidized or not are probably more important. In fact, only oxidized cholesterol can be deposited in the arteries during the development of arteriosclerosis.

This is the "good" cholesterol, which is more difficult to deposit in the arterial walls, and thus cannot contribute to arteriosclerosis. HDL is the acronym for "High Density Lipoprotein" - just one of several lipoproteins involved in carrying and transporting cholesterol throughout the body. Therefore HDL-cholesterol is a measure of cholesterol bound to HDL vehicles. The higher the amount of HDL-cholesterol, the better.

This is a measure of cholesterol bound to Low Density Lipoproteins. Hence the acronym LDL. This is considered "bad" cholesterol because it can easily be deposited in the walls of arteries if oxidized, thus promoting arteriosclerosis and subsequently cardiovascular disease. A low LDL count is desirable, whereas a high count is not desirable. However, it is the amount of oxidized LDL-cholesterol, as opposed to the amount of LDL cholesterol itself, that is probably more significant as a cardiovascular risk factor, since only oxidized cholesterol bound to LDL can damage the arteries.

Testosterone is the male sex hormone. It has anabolic properties and thus can lead to increases in muscle and lean mass. However, the anabolic effects of testosterone are not limited to muscle. Testosterone has a general stimulatory effect on the growth and regeneration of many different types of cells and tissues in the body. Too high levels of testosterone can result in aggressiveness, overt sexual drive, testicular dystrophy, and can possibly speed up the growth of prostate cancer amongst various other problems. Conversely, too low levels of testosterone or poor testosterone receptor function can result in general degeneration throughout the body.

TSH is released by the pineal gland to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce and release TT4 (Thyroxin). TT4 is converted to TT3 (triiodothyroxine) to increase the metabolic rate in cells throughout the body. If the production of TSH is too low, the thyroid gland will not produce sufficient amounts of TT4, even if the thyroid itself is functioning properly. The thyroid is simply not "told" to produce TT4 and thus speed up or maintain the metabolic rate.

TT4 (Thyroxin) is produced and released by the thyroid gland. TT4 consists of 4 iodine atoms bound to the amino acid thyroxine. This is why iodine is important for the thyroid, which controls metabolic rate. TT4 is the inactive form of the thyroid hormone and must be converted into its active form called TT3 in order to stimulate the metabolic rate. Therefore high levels of TT4 are not sufficient to maintain and stimulate metabolic rate unless a sufficient conversion of TT4 to TT3 is also present. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, various cabbages and radishes as well as soy beans, millet and peanuts contain principles that can bind iodine making it unavailable for the production of TT4. Consumption of these foods can thus inhibit the thyroid's production of TT4, and in some cases, the elimination of the above foods can actually reverse too low thyroid functioning.

This is a measure of the actual amount of triiodothyroxin (TT3) found in the blood. TT3 is, as explained above, the activated form of the thyroid hormone TT4, which helps maintain or increase the metabolic rate in cells throughout the body. TT4 is converted into TT3 in the liver, amongst other places. Poor conversion of TT4 to TT3 (shown by high levels of circulating TT4 and too low levels of TT3) could be an indication of impaired liver function. A combination of zinc and selenium can sometimes treat the too slow conversion from TT4 into TT3. Both zinc and selenium are found in various enzymes in living organisms, several of which are found in the liver.

This is a measure of the globulins' left over capacity to carry TT3 in the blood. (The globulins are a group of proteins that carry various substances in the blood). A measure of the TT3-reaction can sometimes be used when trying to ascertain and identify thyroid problems.