The Study
Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in a middle-aged asymptomatic U.S. population: The Miami Heart Study at Baptist Health South Florida.
This study takes a snapshot of heart health in a group of people at one point in time. It can show whether higher cholesterol is linked to more plaque in the arteries, but it can't prove that cholesterol caused the plaque.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at heart scans of healthy middle-aged people to see how cholesterol levels relate to early signs of heart disease, like plaque in arteries, even before symptoms appear.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 529 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, this matters because it shows that even people thought to be at low risk can have early heart disease, especially if their cholesterol is high.
- 2At LDL-C <70 mg/dL, 13.2% had plaque with CAC 0; at LDL-C ≥190 mg/dL, 28.2% had plaque with CAC 0.
- 3In low-risk people, 31.5% had plaque and 18.3% had noncalcified plaque.
- 4When CAC was ≥100, everyone had plaque, and high LDL-C meant more dangerous plaque types.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Atherosclerosis
Year
2024
Authors
K. Hagan, Reed Mszar, Miguel Cainzos-Achirica, M. Blaha, Michael D. Shapiro, Lara Arias, Anshul Saxena, Ricardo C. Cury, Matthew J. Budoff, T. Feldman, J. Fialkow, Sadeer G. Al-Kindi, Khurram Nasir
Related Content
Claims (5)
Even if you feel fine, your arteries might start building up plaque when your 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) hits around 50 to 60 mg/dL, and the more LDL you have, the more plaque builds up — steadily and predictably.
Even in healthy middle-aged Americans with no calcium in their heart arteries, higher 'bad' cholesterol levels are linked to more plaque buildup in the heart's blood vessels.
Even if middle-aged Americans seem healthy and have low heart disease risk, over 30% still have hidden plaque in their arteries — and most of them have a heart scan score of zero, meaning standard checkups might miss early warning signs.
Middle-aged Americans who feel fine but have high 'bad' cholesterol are more likely to have hidden heart artery plaque, especially if they already show signs of artery calcification — and those with very high cholesterol have the worst kinds of plaque.
In healthy-looking middle-aged Americans with low heart disease risk, higher 'bad' cholesterol is linked to more buildup in heart arteries — and the more cholesterol, the more common these buildups are.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.