Actually the number one risk factor for heart disease is high blood sugar aka insulin resistance aka metabolic syndrome. a study of studies ranked the metric factors in terms of numbers, the higher the number, the more powerful a factor in causing heart disease. I'll give you the approximate results.. blood sugar was ranked like 43... far and the way the number one factor. High blood pressure was ranked like 33 Far and Away the second place. Now cholesterol good cholesterol and bad cholesterol or both in the teens like 18 and 13 or 11 or something like that..