#1 Best Way to Find CLOGGED Arteries

Summary

This video discusses the importance of understanding and identifying clogged arteries, emphasizing that heart attacks and strokes often occur without significant blockage. The speaker highlights different tests like CT angiograms, CIMT, and calcium scores, each with their own pros and cons, to assess arterial plaque. A critical point made is that lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise play a significant role in preventing heart attacks, regardless of medical procedures. The speaker advises focusing on metabolic health and reducing inflammation to stabilize plaque, rather than relying solely on stents or medications for prevention.

Takeaways

• 😀 Clogged arteries often go unnoticed until a heart attack or stroke occurs, with many deaths from sudden heart attacks being avoidable.
• 😀 The best way to detect clogged arteries should be easy, affordable, and easy to interpret, with a focus on identifying arterial plaque and its risks.
• 😀 A CT angiogram is one of the most effective ways to detect arterial plaque, but it may not be the best approach for everyone due to cost, radiation, and other challenges.
• 😀 Stents, commonly used to treat clogged arteries, do not prevent heart attacks and can give a false sense of security, especially if lifestyle changes are not made.
• 😀 Heart attacks can occur even with less than 50% artery blockage, as small amounts of plaque can be highly dangerous, especially when combined with inflammation.
• 😀 The most dangerous type of plaque is soft plaque, which is linked to poor lifestyle choices like poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and high blood pressure.
• 😀 Calcium in arteries indicates plaque progression and stability. Healthy lifestyle choices can promote calcium deposition for plaque stability, while unhealthy habits lead to more dangerous soft plaque.
• 😀 A CT angiogram with AI analysis, such as Clearly, provides detailed insights into plaque type, but it has limitations, including high cost, lack of insurance coverage, and the potential for unnecessary stents.
• 😀 CIMT (Carotid Intima Media Thickness Test) is a non-invasive, affordable ultrasound test that measures plaque in the neck and is highly effective in predicting cardiovascular events.
• 😀 A calcium score, which involves a CT scan of the chest, provides an indication of calcified plaque and cardiovascular risk but cannot detect soft plaque and may give misleading results if the plaque is stabilizing due to lifestyle changes.
• 😀 Stress tests are not reliable for predicting heart attacks, as they mainly focus on blood flow, and heart attacks often occur with less than 50% blockage, which may not be detected in a stress test.

Q & A

What is the best way to find out if you have clogged arteries?

The best way to find clogged arteries is through diagnostic tests like a CT angiogram, CIMT (Carotid Intima Media Thickness Test), or a calcium score. Each test provides different insights into cardiovascular health, with varying levels of detail, accessibility, and cost.

Why is a CT angiogram considered one of the best tests for clogged arteries?

A CT angiogram is considered one of the best tests because it uses advanced CT technology to create detailed images of your coronary arteries, helping to identify blockages caused by arterial plaque. However, it has its downsides, including cost, the need for contrast dye, and exposure to radiation.

Why do cardiologists recommend stents after detecting clogged arteries in a CT angiogram, and is this always the best approach?

Cardiologists often recommend stents after detecting blockages in a CT angiogram because they are designed to open up arteries and reduce the risk of heart attacks. However, this may not be the best approach for everyone, as stents don't address the underlying metabolic disease or lifestyle issues that contribute to heart disease.

What is the most dangerous type of arterial plaque?

The most dangerous type of arterial plaque is soft plaque. It is highly unstable, can rupture, and lead to the formation of blood clots, resulting in heart attacks or strokes.

What role does inflammation play in the development of heart attacks and strokes?

Inflammation is a key factor in the development of heart attacks and strokes. It leads to the breakdown of arterial plaque, causing it to rupture. This rupture triggers the formation of a clot, which can block blood flow to the heart or brain, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

What is the significance of calcium in arterial plaque?

Calcium is a marker of plaque progression and stability. Healthy calcification can stabilize plaque, reducing the risk of rupture. However, unhealthy calcification, which occurs when plaque is not properly stabilized, can increase the risk of heart attacks.

What is the Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) test, and how does it help assess cardiovascular risk?

The CIMT test is a non-invasive ultrasound of the carotid artery that measures the thickness of the artery wall. It is used to detect early signs of plaque buildup and assess cardiovascular risk. It can identify soft plaque and is considered a reliable method to predict cardiovascular events.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a CIMT test compared to a CT angiogram?

The CIMT test is cheaper, non-invasive, and does not involve radiation, unlike a CT angiogram. However, it requires a skilled technician to perform and interpret, and it might not provide as detailed an image of the arteries as a CT angiogram.

What is a calcium score, and how does it help in assessing cardiovascular risk?

A calcium score is a CT scan that measures the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries. A higher calcium score is generally associated with a higher cardiovascular risk. However, it does not detect soft plaque, which can still be dangerous.

Why might a person with a high calcium score still be at lower risk for heart disease?

A high calcium score may indicate the presence of calcified, stable plaque. If a person has made lifestyle changes to improve their health, they might be stabilizing their plaque, which can lower the risk of heart disease despite a higher calcium score.