I believe that by posing high-quality questions like these, we can enhance our search for solutions to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Let’s delve into this topic in our blog.
Heart disease and atherosclerosis is found exclusively in arteries, not veins. What is the reason behind this? Let’s start by understanding arteries must dilate (expand) and contract to accommodate changes in blood pressure. This is achieved through a thin layer of muscle surrounding the arteries. In contrast, veins do not perform this function. To illustrate, consider a new rubber garden hose versus one that is dry and cracked. These cracks are filled to prevent leaks. Similarly, our arteries experience cracks due to poor health of the arterial walls, necessitating repair by the body. The prevalence to the cracking is measured by certain inflammatory markers such as CRP and others.
Interestingly, cholesterol is required for repairing these damages, which explains the increase presence of cholesterol at sites undergoing repair. Therefore, the analogy that cholesterol acts as firefighters rather than arsonists is apt; just because firefighters are present at every house fire does not mean they caused it. In fact, studies indicate that heart attack survivors tend to have higher cholesterol levels. Whereas there is a larger percentage of individuals who succumb to heart attacks having lower cholesterol levels.
If we have elevated inflammatory markers in the blood that is the leading sign you must find the cause of what is inflaming your body or else this inflammation will continue to damage the walls within your arteries.
One such cause of inflammation within the walls of the arteries is the increase in oxidative stress. It is this oxidative stress that can cause the cracks in the artery walls. Read a published study about this further on PubMed or click on the target title here Oxidative Stress in Cardiovascular Diseases: Still a Therapeutic Target? – PubMed (nih.gov)
For those seeking a more in-depth approach to preventing cardiovascular diseases and understanding risk factors, consider scheduling a functional medicine consultation. We can explore our cardiometabolic blood panel testing, which offers more precise insights into your cardiovascular risks and strategies for addressing them.