Cholesterol and Heart Plaque in Healthy-Looking Adults
Abstract 13515: LDL-Cholesterol, Coronary Plaque, and Resilience to Coronary Atherosclerosis in a Middle-Aged Asymptomatic US Population: The Miami Heart Study at Baptist Health South Florida
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
More than half of people with LDL-C ≥190 mg/dL had no coronary artery calcium.
Conventional wisdom says LDL ≥190 is 'equivalent to existing heart disease' for risk purposes — yet over half showed no signs of arterial damage.
Practical Takeaways
If you have high LDL-C, consider a CAC scan — and possibly a CCTA — to see if plaque is actually present.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
More than half of people with LDL-C ≥190 mg/dL had no coronary artery calcium.
Conventional wisdom says LDL ≥190 is 'equivalent to existing heart disease' for risk purposes — yet over half showed no signs of arterial damage.
Practical Takeaways
If you have high LDL-C, consider a CAC scan — and possibly a CCTA — to see if plaque is actually present.
Publication
Journal
Circulation
Year
2022
Authors
K. Hagan, Miguel Cainzos Achirica, Reed Mszar, S. Ali, Lara Arias, A. Saxena, R. Cury, M. Budoff, T. Feldman, S. Lahan, M. Blaha, M. Shapiro, Garima Sharma, Raul D. Santos, J. Fialkow, K. Nasir
Related Content
Claims (6)
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 if someone has very high 'bad' cholesterol, more than half of middle-aged people with no symptoms still show no signs of heart artery buildup — meaning their bodies might be naturally protecting them.
Middle-aged adults who feel fine but have very high 'bad' cholesterol might be more likely to have hidden heart plaque, even if they don’t have symptoms.
If a middle-aged person has very high 'bad' cholesterol but feels fine, they’re more than 2.6 times as likely to have early signs of heart artery buildup — even if everything else about their health is accounted for.
Even if a heart scan shows no calcium buildup, nearly 3 in 10 middle-aged people with high 'bad' cholesterol still have soft plaque in their arteries — meaning the usual heart risk test might miss early warning signs.