Preventing Atherosclerosis the Source of Heart Attacks and Strokes Part 1.

Preventing Atherosclerosis, the Source of Heart Attacks and Stroke.

Atherosclerosis is the build up of LDL bad cholesterol AND Calcium which causes hardening of the arteries and blockage to flow.  Heart attacks and strokes occur when the plaque ruptures like a pimple and a clot forms changing an artery narrowing into a blocked artery.

Three ways to significantly reduce heart attacks and strokes are as follows.

1.  Prevent or remove LDL cholesterol from making or maintaining plaques.
2.  Prevent or remove Calcium from making or maintaining plaques.
3.  Stabilize the harmless plaque narrowing from rupturing by reducing inflammation in the plaque.

1.

LDL is more or less plaque forming based on the size and number of the particles.
Large fluffy particles are best and have lower particle counts per mg of LDL cholesterol.
HDL removes LDL cholesterol from plaques by reverse cholesterol transport to the liver.
Metabolically healthy diet and exercise depletes liver glycogen stores and calories are converted into glycogen and healthy fat.
Healthy fat has 8% higher HDL good cholesterol, 7% lower LDL bad cholesterol made up of large fluffy particles having a lower particle count per mg of LDL cholesterol.

Metabolically unhealthy high glycemic diets and low intensity steady state exercise maintains full liver glycogen stores and calories are converted into unhealthy fat.
Small dense particles are worse and have higher particle counts per mg of LDL cholesterol.
Unhealthy fat has 8% lower HDL good cholesterol, 7% higher LDL bad cholesterol made up of small dense particles having higher particle count per mg of LDL cholesterol.

2.

Calcium makes up 18% of the plaque by weight.
High coronary artery calcium scores predict earlier heart attacks in men.
Women have 1/10 the rate of atherosclerosis in men at age 50 and equal rates at age 60.
The rapid build up of atherosclerosis coincides with the loss of bone calcium in menopause.
The combination of Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 removes calcium from soft tissues by "reverse calcium transport" to the bones.
This occurs because Vitamin D3 makes a Vitamin K2 dependent protein, Matrix GLA protein which joins Vitamin K2 and removes calcium from the plaques and sequesters the calcium in stronger and fracture resistant bones. I recommend D3 5,000 IU and K2 5 msg daily. Avoid if on warfarin/coumadin.

3.  HDL and Matix GLA protein/K2 remove LDL cholesterol and calcium respectfully from arteries preventing blockages and the INFLAMMATION that leads to rupture, heart attacks and strokes.