Please share an interesting fact about dealing with atherosclerosis.

Ignore: Smoking is one of the biggest risk for premature atherosclerosis. Please quit smoking !

Best: Best treatment: optimize the driving factors: lipoproteins, blood sugar, bp, etc. ; low-fat diet.

Ignore: Atherosclerosis can be master if you watch your cholesterol, blood pressure and avoid cigarettes.

Since: Since long promoted ideas about artery disease are bogus, intensely study to learn correct issues.

Since: Since physicians have little to no training/understanding of disease prevention, best act as own md.

Why: Why is a very low ldl-c value not a health problem? Because every cell makes its own cholesterol.

Is: Is cholesterol a bad fat ? No! made by every animal ; human cell ; allows our cells to change shape.

Stress: Stress tests reflect capillary flow ; miss disease because arterioles, not arteries, control flow.

Which: Which drive disease; cholesterol made by all animal cells or lipoproteins? Lipoproteins! ↑ldl ; ↓hdl.

Why: Why is ldl-c promoted instead of LDL particle measurements? Still a bit ↓$ despite low correlation.

What: What is cholesterol? A fat molecule made by all animal cells, part of membranes, allows movement.

Cholesterol: Cholesterol molecules in 1 LDL particle? A few hundred to a few thousand of ~3 to 6, 000 molecules.

What: What is ldl? Complex particles made of proteins which transport all fats in water outside cells.

Why: Why are LDL particles lower density than hdl? They carry more fat molecules, thus ↓density vs. Water.

Meaning:: Meaning: high density lipoproteins? High density compared to what? The surrounding water molecules.

Which: Which fats do lipoproteins carry? Triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol ; all others, in water.

Are: Are new good tools to ↓ldl in clinical trials, better than statins? Yes, ; called pcsk9 inhibitors.

Does: Does Aspirin decrease atherosclerosis progression? No!, only inhibits platelet function, clotting.

Does: Does Aspirin "thin" the blood? No! only inhibits platelets which trigger clotting ; slows clotting.

Which: Which fats are healthier, mono&polyunsaturated fats or saturated fats, with cholesterol? The latter!

Average: Average total cholesterol before major heart attack is 170. So what good is a value below 200 mg/dL?

Cardiac: Cardiac Troponin I helps identify patients who may be at risk of future bad heart-related outcomes.

Consuming: Consuming a high-cholesterol diet or eating eggs does not significantly raise cholesterol typically.

All: All LDL "bad" cholesterol is not harmful and does not necessarily cause coronary heart disease.

All: All HDL "good" cholesterol is not protective - some types may actually be harmful and promote CAD.

Belly: Belly fat (visceral fat) is more important than weight as a risk factor for heart disease.

Walking: Walking 10,000 steps/day is considered to be equivalent to 60 mins of moderate intensity exercise.

F2-Isoprostanes: F2-Isoprostanes can identify oxidative stress in the body from smoking, poor diet, eating red meat.

Hs-CRP: Hs-CRP is a protein found in the blood when there is inflammation somewhere in the body. Goal.

About: About 50% of heart attacks and strokes occur in people with 'normal' cholesterol.

Adverse: Adverse cardiac events (heart attack, stroke, death) are caused by vulnerable plaque inflammation.

Ignore: 3 out of 4 patients with calf claudication due to atherosclerosis will remain stable over time.

Ignore: Low dose aspirin & appropriate cholesterol lowering along with exercise lowers your risk for MI.

Ignore: Avoid smoking and excessive beer and eat healthy. Have your doctor check lipid profile and treat it.

Ignore: 1) Depending on age consider Aspirin (ask your doctor) 2) Check your cholesterol. 3) No smoking.