You may be sailing along, thinking you're doing a good job of taking care of yourself. After all, your LDL cholesterol is 110 mg/dL and you're only a little overweight.

And then, bam! You have a heart attack.

That wakeup call may happen because you weren't paying close enough attention to five biomarkers:

• Genetic risks

• Blood pressure

• Blood sugar

• Waist size

• Inflammation

Each of those factors measure a different pathway to heart disease.

In addition, there are three biomarkers that may be new to you. A study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions looked at the impact of lipoprotein (a), remnant cholesterol (associated with triglycerides), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (an inflammation marker) on your risk for heart attack.

It turns out that people with elevated levels of all three had a 300% greater risk of a heart attack than people without elevated levels of those biomarkers. People with two of these biomarkers elevated had a 200% increased risk, and those with one had a 45% increased risk.

If your LDL level is above 70 mg/dL, you're overweight, have a waist size that's more than half your height, and/or have diabetes or another chronic disease, ask your doctor to check those three markers. If any is elevated, take steps to roll back your risk.

A combination of smart medicines (a statin and/or a GLP-1 will promote heart health independent of weight loss), increased physical activity, stress management, and a diet upgrade offer serious protection.

For a rundown of heart-loving foods, read my book, "The What to Eat When Cookbook."