Don’t Ignore This Heart Test—it Might Save Your Life!

Have you ever stopped to think about your arteries? These amazing tubes carry blood all over your body, but sometimes, they can get clogged up. This can lead to serious problems like heart attacks and strokes. The scary part is, you might not even know it’s happening until it’s too late. But don’t worry, there are ways to keep your arteries clean and healthy, and even a simple test you can do at home to check on them. (Based on the teachings of cardiologist, Dr. Andre Wambier)

The Silent Threat: Understanding Clogged Arteries

It’s easy to think of our bodies as staying the same, but they’re always changing. As we get older, our artery walls can get stiffer and thicker, making it harder for blood to flow. And then there are those sneaky fat deposits, called plaques, that start building up quietly. Before you know it, you could be facing a heart attack or stroke that changes everything.

The most unsettling thing about this process, called atherosclerosis, is that it often doesn’t cause any symptoms at first. Many people believe this is just an old person’s problem, but that’s not true at all. A study in the United States found that a huge number of young people, under 35, who died in car accidents, already had plaques in their heart arteries. Almost 80% of them! And get this: 20% of those young folks already had more than half of their arteries blocked. So, the first big takeaway is that atherosclerosis can start much earlier than you’d ever guess.

Key Takeaways

Atherosclerosis can begin in childhood and affect young adults.
Many people have plaque buildup without knowing it.
Early detection and lifestyle changes are important for prevention.

How Plaques Cause Heart Attacks and Strokes

Now, here’s something most people don’t know: it’s not always the biggest plaques that are the most dangerous. Even smaller plaques can be deadly. Why? Because these little plaques can break open.

Think of a plaque like a little bubble of fat and other stuff, covered by a thin wall, kind of like plastic wrap around food. But if there’s a lot of inflammation, stress, or not enough sleep, that wall can tear. It’s like the plastic wrap ripping open. When that happens, all the gunk inside – fat, calcium, and other inflammatory things – spills out into your bloodstream.

Your platelets, which are tiny cells that normally stop bleeding, rush to the scene to help. The problem is, an artery is like a pipe. When the platelets form a clot to try and fix the tear, that clot can completely block the pipe. The blood can’t get through, and the flow stops. If this happens in the arteries of your heart, it’s a heart attack. If it happens in your brain, it’s a stroke.

This is why you might hear about someone who seemed perfectly healthy suddenly having a fatal heart attack. You might wonder, “Were they really not feeling anything?” Often, they weren’t! Because small plaques often don’t cause symptoms before they break open. In fact, most heart attacks happen because of plaques that are less than 50% blocked. Crazy, right?

That’s why taking care of your arteries from a young age is so important.

Checking Your Arteries: The Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) Test

So, how do you find out if you already have fat in your arteries? There are several ways doctors can check. They might do an ultrasound of your neck arteries (carotids) to see if there are blockages going to your head. Or an ultrasound of your abdominal aorta to look for plaques or bulges there.

There’s also a calcium score test, which is a special CT scan that measures calcium in your heart arteries. A score of zero doesn’t mean you’re totally clear, though, because new, soft plaques (the dangerous kind that can break) might not show up as calcium yet. For a really detailed look at your heart arteries, your doctor might order a CT angiogram or a cardiac catheterization. These tests can show exactly where plaques are and how much they’re blocking the artery.

Of course, these tests can be expensive and are relatively new. But back in the 1950s, doctors had a simpler way to check for blockages, using just a blood pressure cuff. You can even do a version of this test at home! It’s called the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) test. It’s a quick way to measure blood flow and check for plaques or hardening in your arteries, which are signs of peripheral artery disease.

This test is pretty reliable. It can be done in a doctor’s office, often with a special ultrasound device for more accuracy. But for a basic check, you can do it at home with a regular blood pressure monitor. Just a quick note: if you’ve had a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) before, it’s best to skip this test.

How to Do the ABI Test at Home

Get Ready: Lie down comfortably for a few minutes to let your body relax.
Measure Arm Pressure: Choose one arm and take your blood pressure. Make sure you’re doing it correctly. Write down the top number (systolic pressure). For example, if it’s 115.
Measure Ankle Pressure: Place the blood pressure cuff around one of your ankles. You can feel for the arteries on your ankle to find the best spot. Take the blood pressure and write down the top number.
Repeat for Other Ankle: Do the same for your other ankle and write down the top number.
Measure Other Arm Pressure: Finally, take your blood pressure on the arm you haven’t measured yet.

Calculating Your ABI:

Take the highest systolic pressure from your ankles.
Take the highest systolic pressure from your arms.
Divide the highest ankle pressure by the highest arm pressure. Do this for each leg.

Example:

ABI (Right Leg) = Highest Right Ankle Pressure / Highest Arm Pressure

Interpreting Your ABI Results

Normal: An ABI between 1.0 and 1.4 is usually normal.
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): An ABI below 0.9 suggests you might have PAD.
Hardened Arteries: An ABI above 1.4 could mean your arteries are stiff due to calcification.

If your numbers are outside the 0.9-1.4 range, it could be a sign of advanced atherosclerosis or stiff arteries, which can affect your heart and brain. If your results are not normal, it’s a good idea to see a doctor for more tests. The cool thing is, you can re-do this test later to see if your arteries are getting better, especially if you start walking more or quit smoking.

Factors That Affect Your Arteries

I once had a patient who thought he was super healthy. He ran marathons, ate well, and his yearly stress tests were always normal. He figured everything was fine. But when we did some more detailed tests, we found something surprising: he had a lot of plaque in his arteries. His arteries looked like those of a 73-year-old, even though he was only 57!

He was shocked. He felt like all his hard work was for nothing. But this was a turning point for him. After this discovery, he made big changes. He started taking medicine, adjusted his diet even more, and even changed his training. And guess what? In just one year, he managed to reverse 20 years of plaque buildup in his arteries! It was amazing.

You might be wondering, “But he was already doing everything right, what was wrong?” Well, the risk factors for atherosclerosis aren’t just about exercise and diet. They also include:

High Blood Pressure: Even active people can have high blood pressure, which stresses the arteries over time.
High Cholesterol: Being an athlete doesn’t automatically mean your cholesterol is perfect.
Diabetes: This can affect even those with a balanced diet.
Smoking: Even if you quit years ago, smoking can leave lasting damage on your arteries.
Stress: Chronic stress can age your arteries faster.
Family History: Even with a healthy lifestyle, your genes can significantly increase your risk.

In my patient’s case, he had almost all these factors, except diabetes. He had quit smoking 15 years earlier, and his brother, also an athlete, had died of a heart attack at just 50. This made me look beyond the usual tests. I ordered a CT angiogram of his heart arteries, which showed the real state of his arteries. As I said, they looked like those of a 73-year-old, with several plaques almost 60% blocked.

But he was lucky. We found it in time. That test saved his life. With intensive treatment, a year later, he didn’t have any plaque more than 40% blocked. A true victory!

The Best and Worst Foods for Your Arteries

Does what you eat matter? Absolutely! Some foods are like bombs for your arteries, speeding up plaque buildup and increasing inflammation. Here are the top 6 villains you should try to avoid:

The Worst Foods

Ultra-Processed Foods: These are the champions of sabotaging your arteries. Think packaged cookies, chips, sodas, and instant noodles. They’re full of preservatives, unhealthy fats, and salt – basically, everything your body doesn’t need. They also replace healthy homemade meals and natural foods, increasing inflammation and bad cholesterol. Think twice before grabbing that microwave lasagna!
Sugar and Corn Syrup: Many boxed juices, industrial sauces, and even those “healthy”-looking snack bars are loaded with sugar and corn syrup. These ingredients cause inflammation, increase belly fat, and are terrible for your arteries.
Trans Fats: Margarine, ice cream, fast food burgers, fries, and many processed desserts are packed with trans fats. They’re a triple threat: they raise bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol (HDL), and cause inflammation in your arteries. Stay away from them!
Saturated Fats: These fats increase bad cholesterol and speed up plaque formation. You don’t have to completely avoid things like barbecue, but moderation is key. Processed meats like sausages, hot dogs, ham, and bacon are even worse because they’re high in preservatives and sodium, which contribute to artery hardening and plaque buildup.
Refined Carbohydrates: White bread, white rice, and plain pasta. You don’t have to cut them out entirely, but it’s better to eat less of them. In large amounts, they cause insulin spikes, obesity, and inflammation. You can eat them, but not too often.
Fried Foods: You probably already knew this one, so I don’t need to say much more.

You don’t have to live on a strict diet, but you can start by slowly swapping these out for foods that are good for you!

The Best Foods

Here’s what you should put more of on your plate:

Legumes: Foods like beans, lentils, and chickpeas are rich in fiber, which helps keep cholesterol and blood sugar in check. Plus, they give you plant-based protein for your muscles.
Oats: A great breakfast choice! Oats have soluble fibers, like beta-glucan, which naturally lower bad cholesterol and reduce belly fat.
Beetroot: This root vegetable is powerful, full of nitrates that help with circulation and widen blood vessels.
Leafy Greens: Like beetroot, greens such as arugula and spinach boost nitric oxide in your body, improving blood flow and helping keep arteries clear.
Seeds: Chia and flax seeds are rich in fiber (good for cholesterol and blood sugar), antioxidants, and omega-3s, which reduce inflammation in your blood vessels.
Fruits: Avocados are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats that raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol. Berries like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are packed with anthocyanins, which help with circulation.
Nuts: Almonds and walnuts, for example. They might be a bit pricey, but even a small amount offers amazing benefits for your heart.
Fish: Salmon and sardines are rich in Omega-3s, which help lower triglycerides and raise good cholesterol.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: It might be expensive, but it’s cheaper than many medicines!
Dark Chocolate (over 70% cocoa): The flavonoids in dark chocolate help relax arteries and improve blood flow, lowering blood pressure.

I know what you’re thinking: changing your diet isn’t easy. And you’re right, it takes effort. But with the right changes, you can take better care of your heart, reduce your risks, and live a healthier, fuller life. I’m here to help you, to show you, and sometimes to remind you. So, let’s do this: take care of your arteries, adjust your diet, move more, and if needed, get the right medical treatment. You can do it!

A Glimpse into the Future: Nanoparticles for Artery Cleaning

Now for a bonus: a big discovery that could change medicine forever. Imagine removing fat plaques from your arteries without surgery, without stents, and without taking medicine for the rest of your life. It sounds like science fiction, but new research is making it possible, and it’s already been successfully tested in animals with atherosclerosis!

Here’s how it works: Scientists are using tiny nanoparticles, smaller than a strand of hair, to reactivate a natural body process called efferocytosis. This process helps clean up cells that build up in arteries and form plaques. So, these particles can actually clean your arteries from the inside!

Normally, your body tries to do this on its own, especially if you live a healthy lifestyle for a long time, giving your arteries a chance to heal. But when plaques get too big, your body can’t keep up. With these nanoparticles, this cleaning process gets a huge boost, removing even the most dangerous plaques. It’s incredible, right?

This therapy has been tested in animals, and the results are very promising. Now, researchers are getting ready to test it in humans. Imagine a future where cleaning your arteries is quick and effective! Many people dream of a “detergent” that cleans arteries – and this is getting close. Even better, in tests so far, no serious side effects have been found! This means the nanoparticles are very precise and safe, focusing only on what needs to be removed without harming healthy cells.

This research is still in its early stages, but it offers a lot of hope. What do you think? I hope you enjoyed this information. Take care of your heart!

Source: Dr. Andre Wambier