5 Important Health Numbers You Need To Know

DETROIT (WWJ) - When it comes to your health, do you know the numbers that matter most?

Experts say there are five numbers you should know, but most of us probably don't.

Between phone numbers and pins, pass codes and combinations, most of us have to memorize a lot of numbers just to maintain our daily lives.

But there are five important numbers everyone should know to assess and manage their heart disease risk.

Ohio State University researchers picked just one number — body mass index, or BMI —  and asked people across the country if they knew what a healthy BMI should be.

"With that survey, we were actually able to see that two out of three people do not know what the body mass index means even," said cardiologist Dr. Martha Gulati.

A healthy BMI is under 25.

The other four numbers you should know, doctors say, are waist size, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.

VISIT THIS LINK to find guidelines on what those numbers should be and what they mean for your heart disease risk.