GUARDaHEART Foundation's "Unmasked Heart Disease" Featuring DIABETES predict™ event was recently held in Newport Beach, CA. This was a special night dedicated to raising awareness of the diabetic health crisis, with the goal to save lives.

Estrella Harrington, Founder of GUARDaHEART Foundation. Photo Credit: Sheri Determan

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides education to communities, corporations, Native American organizations, unions, and individuals to promote heart disease awareness, detection, and prevention. Its mission is to empower communities through preventative action and to reduce the risk of heart disease worldwide.

GUARDaHEART's work to promote heart disease awareness, detection, and prevention is crucial now more than ever. Medical professionals say COVID-19 may have long-term impacts on organs including the heart, lungs, and brain, and may lead to the development of diabetes in recovered patients in the future.

The evening featured music, fabulous libations, tapas, healthy food and desserts. Delicious sugar-free dessert options were provided courtesy of BochaSweet™, a zero-calorie cane sugar replacement with the same heavenly "melt-in-your-mouth" sweetness of real sugar, but no bitter aftertaste or glucose spikes.

GUARDaHEART hosted the event in partnership with the Predictive Health Diagnostics Company (PHDC), a leading diagnostics company that specializes in medical tests that detect high-risk diseases.

PHDC's first diagnostic test is The PULS Cardiac Test™ and the company recently launched its second diagnostic test DIABETES predict, an all-ages lab test that evaluates an individual's genetic predisposition to develop type 2 diabetes (T2D). Based on test data, DIABETESpredict offers personalized recommendations based on a patient's genetic profile. This test provides a high-sensitivity and high-specificity evaluation of the genetic predisposition to develop diabetes.

Fernanda Rocha (RHOC) and Braunwyn Windham-Burke (RHOC). Photo Credit: Sheri Determan — **Fernanda Rocha (RHOC) and Braunwyn Windham-Burke (RHOC).** Photo Credit: Sheri Determan

This test is especially important for anyone who is concerned about developing diabetes, including those with a family history of diabetes or risk factors such as obesity or metabolic abnormalities. All tests are performed by CLIA-certified laboratories.

Douglas S. Harrington, MD, Chairman of the GUARDaHEART Foundation and Fellow of the American Society of Preventive Cardiology and the American Society of Clinical Pathology, helped bring DIABETESpredict into clinical use. He says that the tests are important for both individuals and the community at large.

"Our mission is to greatly reduce heart disease and other illnesses through methods including detection and prevention. DIABETESpredict can identify type 2 diabetes risk before symptoms or abnormal lab results present, and provides genotype-informed recommendations that can guide healthy decisions for prevention and intervention," said Dr. Harrington.

Matt Nunez, CFO of Predictive Health Diagnostics. Photo Credit: Sheri Determan

GUARDaHEART founder Estrella Harrington added, "Preventative testing is a key component of our continued fight against heart disease and diabetes, and remains vital in the wake of COVID-19, especially for those who may be dealing with the virus's long-term effects."

GUARDaHEART previously partnered with PHDC on the PULS Cardiac Test, a one-of-a-kind diagnostic blood test that identifies asymptomatic patients' risk of a heart attack in the next five years, allowing them to make preventative cardiology and lifestyle changes. Cardiac disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, and affects over 120 million Americans.

PHDC has generously granted funding to GUARDaHEART Foundation for community outreach as it carries out its mission to Learn, Detect and Prevent.

DIABETESpredict was developed in collaboration with scientists and endocrinologists at The Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA) and The Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard (Cambridge, MA). DIABETESpredict is an all-ages lab test that evaluates an individual's genetic predisposition to develop Type 2 diabetes (T2D), then offers personalized recommendations based on the patient's genetic profile. Predictive Health Diagnostics Company licensed the test in 2020 and recently entered into an exclusive agreement with Patia Diabetes for distribution throughout North America.

Healthcare providers may place orders for DIABETESpredict by calling 866-299-8998.

PULS Cardiac Test is a simple, non-invasive blood test that predicts the likelihood of a patient having a heart attack within the next five years. It works by detecting the true leading cause of heart attacks: Unstable Cardiac Lesion Ruptures. PULS Cardiac Test Wins 2016 Diamond ABBY Award for Innovation in Healthcare. Dr. Douglas H. Harrington is the inventor of the PULS Cardiac Test.

Predictive Health Diagnostics Company (PHDC) is a leading specialty diagnostics development platform company that develops, manufactures, and distributes medical tests combining science, technology, and proprietary analytics to detect high-risk diseases with significant unmet medical needs. PHDC's laboratory information systems use data from multiple sources including proteomics, genetics, metabolics, biochemistry, phenotype, and imaging to address among the most challenging clinical problems.