He had no symptoms. His heart biomarkers helped him look closer.

Nothing felt wrong

JP never missed a physical.

Every year, without fail, he showed up for his checkup and got the recommended bloodwork. It was a habit his parents had drilled into him long before he had kids of his own.

“My doctor never flagged anything. All the lipid panels and all the standard panels came back very normal."

He worked out every weekday morning and ate a Mediterranean-style diet at home. He had no symptoms or reason to think something was wrong.

But JP also knew the other side of his story.

His father had heart problems and needed stents. His uncle died of a heart attack. And both of his father's parents died of heart attacks when his father was still young.

Having 2 daughters of his own changed how JP thought about his health.

"With kids, your calculus changes around longevity and trying to be around for them as long as possible."

Looking under the hood

In 2024, JP was reading a best-selling book on chronic disease. One part stayed with him.

“I remember reading about all the biomarkers you can screen for.”

Within about a month, JP discovered Function. As a venture capitalist, he was so interested in the company that he checked whether his firm already knew about it.

By coincidence, they were meeting with Function’s CEO in 2 weeks. His firm ultimately invested in Function, and JP signed up as a member himself.

“I thought I'd go in and just make sure everything's okay, kind of like take the car to the mechanic. I didn't think I'd find anything.”

Change of heart

Weeks later, his lab results came back with a few surprises.

“There were 11 or 12 that were sort of out of range, and 9 of them were in the category of heart.”

Although his standard cholesterol results had never raised concern, his LDL Small and LDL Medium were significantly elevated.

LDL particle size can add context for cardiovascular risk beyond standard LDL Cholesterol measurements. Think about the analogy of a large, fluffy beach ball and a small, dense golf ball. These smaller, denser LDL particles are considered more likely to become oxidized, penetrate arterial walls, and promote plaque buildup.

Suddenly, his family history felt more relevant, and he was ready to investigate.

His doctor looked closer

JP brought his lab results to his new primary care doctor.

Because this was their first visit, they also spent time reviewing his family history. Together, the details began to connect.

“The fact that I walked into that conversation with these types of results gave him everything he needed to come up with a plan to test a little bit more.”

His doctor suggested a particular heart CT.

This CT measures calcium buildup in the heart’s arteries and provides a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score that can help assess long-term cardiovascular risk.

The results showed his CAC score was in the 80s. Greater than the 90th percentile based on reference values from large research studies.

For someone around 40 years old, his doctor told him it was much higher than expected.

Getting ahead of what he couldn't feel

In consideration of his family history, lab results, and CAC score, JP's doctor prescribed a statin with the goal of lowering his cardiovascular risk. He also completed additional cardiac testing to assess his blood flow.

Next, JP looked at the decisions he could make every day. He became more conscious of how much red meat he ate.

“As someone from Argentina, that breaks my heart.”

He also added omega-3s and other supplements focused on heart health. And with Function, he could track his biomarkers over time.

“I can see the scores changing.”

His LDL Small and LDL Medium have come down since his first results.

The information his father didn't have

For JP, learning about his risk early changed how he thought about his health and the health of the people he loves.

“I feel bad because my father never had this type of information.”

This has been his strongest motivation to share Function with every single person in his orbit.

His wife has now joined, too.

“I'm gifting Function at Christmas. I'm making sure all my neighbors and close friends know about it.”

“I always say Function saved my life, and I didn't even know it needed saving.”