thanks again for another great article breaking down the various notions about coronary artery plaque, heart disease and risks of serious events. You have a real gift for synthesizing a complex body of information and delivering it to your readers in a very accessible way.
My understanding of the development of coronary artery plaque is that we 'lay down' plaque along vessel walls to heal micro-tears in the endothelium. The micro-tears are the result of inflammation, the biggest offender being high consumption of simple sugars in the diet. I am sure other dietary and environmental contributors play a big role (highly processed foods, inferior water, toxins in our food, water and air, etc).
My understanding of the association between high circulating serum cholesterol levels and coronary artery disease was really challenged when my father-in-law (in his mid 60's at the time) developed idiopathic cardiomyopathy and needed a heart transplant. He had been on Mevacor for years for high serum cholesterol. A medical center in Austin, Tx, where I live, agreed to do a heart transplant from an older donor provided his coronary arteries looked good. He had serum cholesterols in the mid-to high 300's. A heart cath showed his vessels were 100% clear and he underwent a heart transplant with great success. At the same time an uncle (also a physician) was grounded from flying his plane due to high serum cholesterols. He went on a seriously crazy low-fat diet and got his serum cholesterol down to 70. A heart cath showed he had serous cardiovascular disease with areas of occlusion. My theory was the diet caused massive inflammation likely the result of his high carb low fat diet which promoted plaque formation.
The history of how dietary fat became our enemy is a very interesting one and unsurprisingly fraught with corruption and interference from the food industry.
Great article. I’m interested in everything you write, but considering heart disease is the leading cause of death (if accurate) I am always curious to learn more about heart health. I will listen to the podcast tonight. You are a gem. Thank you for all your hard work. I learn a lot from you!
On a different subject, have you ever thought about writing an article on homocysteine? (I did a search of your articles and couldn’t find one.). I’m fairly good at research but haven’t found anything yet that helps me understand it better. Thanks!
My husband and I recently had brain SPECT scans mostly for general health purposes. One test in a series of labs was homocysteine, I assume, to look for any correlation to what they were seeing to blood flow in the brain. I’m one of the ones that digs into each lab test to understand what it indicates other than just being a number on a page. This was the first time I had ever had a homocysteine level taken, so it started my interest.
Obviously, these articles require an enormous amount of your time. While being a complete novice, I am fascinated by both anatomy and physiology. I even followed both links and thoroughly read your blood pressure articles which, for a non-reader, says something big. You have a real gift for communicating difficult concepts. All that to say, thank you. 😊
I see calcification more as a later stage phenomenon associated with necrosis. I'm more interested in foam cell formation and factors in their formation: address the route causes, preferably before remodeling.
Accelerated atherosclerosis: a warning from history
Including what your doctor won't tell you about your meds
Cut off your breasts.
Yank out your prostate.
Grab a double bypass and get half off a colostomy bag with this month's special!
Carve-outs, amputations and removals: Big Medical's version of preventive medicine.
thanks again for another great article breaking down the various notions about coronary artery plaque, heart disease and risks of serious events. You have a real gift for synthesizing a complex body of information and delivering it to your readers in a very accessible way.
My understanding of the development of coronary artery plaque is that we 'lay down' plaque along vessel walls to heal micro-tears in the endothelium. The micro-tears are the result of inflammation, the biggest offender being high consumption of simple sugars in the diet. I am sure other dietary and environmental contributors play a big role (highly processed foods, inferior water, toxins in our food, water and air, etc).
My understanding of the association between high circulating serum cholesterol levels and coronary artery disease was really challenged when my father-in-law (in his mid 60's at the time) developed idiopathic cardiomyopathy and needed a heart transplant. He had been on Mevacor for years for high serum cholesterol. A medical center in Austin, Tx, where I live, agreed to do a heart transplant from an older donor provided his coronary arteries looked good. He had serum cholesterols in the mid-to high 300's. A heart cath showed his vessels were 100% clear and he underwent a heart transplant with great success. At the same time an uncle (also a physician) was grounded from flying his plane due to high serum cholesterols. He went on a seriously crazy low-fat diet and got his serum cholesterol down to 70. A heart cath showed he had serous cardiovascular disease with areas of occlusion. My theory was the diet caused massive inflammation likely the result of his high carb low fat diet which promoted plaque formation.
The history of how dietary fat became our enemy is a very interesting one and unsurprisingly fraught with corruption and interference from the food industry.
https://www.life-enthusiast.com/articles/borax-conspiracy/
Once again I’m posting an article that changed and decalcified my body and greatly improved my life.
Great article. I’m interested in everything you write, but considering heart disease is the leading cause of death (if accurate) I am always curious to learn more about heart health. I will listen to the podcast tonight. You are a gem. Thank you for all your hard work. I learn a lot from you!
On a different subject, have you ever thought about writing an article on homocysteine? (I did a search of your articles and couldn’t find one.). I’m fairly good at research but haven’t found anything yet that helps me understand it better. Thanks!
I have not thought about it, no.
What started your interest in it?
My husband and I recently had brain SPECT scans mostly for general health purposes. One test in a series of labs was homocysteine, I assume, to look for any correlation to what they were seeing to blood flow in the brain. I’m one of the ones that digs into each lab test to understand what it indicates other than just being a number on a page. This was the first time I had ever had a homocysteine level taken, so it started my interest.
Obviously, these articles require an enormous amount of your time. While being a complete novice, I am fascinated by both anatomy and physiology. I even followed both links and thoroughly read your blood pressure articles which, for a non-reader, says something big. You have a real gift for communicating difficult concepts. All that to say, thank you. 😊
Thank you!
I see calcification more as a later stage phenomenon associated with necrosis. I'm more interested in foam cell formation and factors in their formation: address the route causes, preferably before remodeling.
Accelerated atherosclerosis: a warning from history
Including what your doctor won't tell you about your meds
https://doorlesscarp953.substack.com/p/accelerated-atherosclerosis-a-warning
I learnt a lot originally from Patrick Holfords book “The Homocysteine Solution”. Very interesting topic.
Thank you for the recommendation!