NKF held another of its free health screenings at our building today. You know how I can't pass on free stuff, so I went ahead. Here's what my body told them. Today, at least.

Body Mass Index -- that's weight / (height x height): 22.1 kg/m²
Normal range: 18.5 to 22.9
I wonder if I had not had that sandwich for breakfast. Oops, can't tell 'em, I was supposed to fast for a few hours before doing this.

Waist-Hip Ratio -- that's waist / hip: 0.84
Normal range for male: < 1.0
Is that a sensitive fact or what.

Body Fat Analysis: 18.5%
Normal range for male aged < 30: 14% to 20%
Whoa! And I thought that waist-hip thing was sensitive.

Blood Pressure: 121 mmHg / 72 mmHg
Normal range: < 130 / < 85
Fortunately that SIM project was over. Had they done this a few months back...

Urinalysis: no blood, no glucose, no ketone, no protein, pH 5
Normal: no traces of all those above should be found
Looks like I got away with that coffee.

Random Blood Glucose: 76 mg/dl
Normal range: < 140
Phew! This blood sugar thing is always a concern to me -- family history.

Random Blood Total Cholesterol: 205 mg/dl
Normal range: < 200
Yeah, a bit high. But not really a concern -- yet. Same thing happened to me a few years back, did a lipid test, and turned out it was the HDL that was high. Which was good, the doc said.

Do you know what cholesterol actually is? Well, I didn't. Here's what the NKF flyer says. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that can be found in all parts of the body. It is an important component of cell membranes, which produce hormones and bile acids to digest fat. However, only a small amount of cholesterol is needed by the body.

If there is excess cholesterol in the blood, it can deposit in the walls of the arteries and cause a build-up. Over time, the arteries will get narrow and eventually blocked, which leads to heart disease. Although, this gentleman seems to think otherwise.

Now, there are two types of cholesterol: the bad and the good. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are the bad guys. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are the good guys. Those two things -- LDL and HDL -- alone should impress most of the women -- note I didn't say girls -- you go out with. But just in case the women themselves try to appear intelligent and ask, "Oh dear, that so? Please tell me more about this LDL-HDL thingy. BTW, you look handsome with that tie on," here's more.

The LDL guys transport cholesterol from liver to body's tissues. On artery walls a hard, thick substance is formed of the cholesterol. If there are too many of these bad guys, arteries will narrow, causing difficulties in supplying blood and oxygen to heart muscles. Eventually, it leads to heart diseases.

The HDL guys do the opposite. They extract cholesterol from artery walls and dispose it via liver. As such, high level of HDL cholesterol is desired while high level of LDL is dreaded.

Watching what you eat is the way to go in this cholesterol business. Food with saturated fat or trans fat should be avoided whenever you have the will. And based on my experience, anything that involves 'the will' is never easy. Food with saturated fat includes fatty meat, chicken/duck skin, full cream dairy products, lard, coconut cream/milk/oil, palm oil, and hard margarine. Food with trans fat includes french fries, deep-fried fast food, pastries, commercially produced cookies, and potato chips.

That, plus regular exercises and not smoking should keep the cholesterol at bay for a while. Yeah, sad but true, it's time for me to start worrying about my health. Although, ironically, however healthy you are, it might not matter with all those bombs around.

All right, all right, I know some of you won't believe me. But those diseases not so long ago associated with 'old people' start to feel more real now. When did you have your last check-up?

Current music: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and Joy
Current mood: happy