Fat, Not Calcium, Is Heart Attack Culprit

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Fat, Not Calcium, Is Heart Attack Culprit

JoAnn Guest

Aug 17, 2003 15:27 PDT

 

Monday February 26 5:44 PM ET

By Suzanne Rostler

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients whose arteries are clogged with

fatty plaque may be more susceptible to heart attack than those

whose

arteries are coated with calcium-containing plaque, researchers

report.

 

The findings indicate that diets aimed at reducing the build-up of

cholesterol in the arteries may be more useful than drugs

that seek to

reduce amounts of plaque that contain calcium deposits (channel

blockers).

 

The study also " highlights the importance of developing new methods

for

identifying the most unstable lesions in patients before they

rupture, "

such as technologies that can detect the fat content, Dr. Richard T.

Lee from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in

Boston, Massachusetts, and the study's lead author said in an

interview.

" Currently, this isn't easy to do, but several methods like magnetic

resonance imaging or catheter-based techniques are promising, " he

said.

 

Fatty plaque can be more dangerous than calcium-containing plaque

because it is more likely to *rupture* and cause the formation of

blood clots (thrombosis),

which can cause heart attack and stroke, the researchers explain.

 

 

Lee likened the production of artery-clogging lesions to a bench

with supports at each end and in the middle.

 

" If you replaced the support in the middle with another hard

support like calcium, the bench will still be stable.

 

But if you replaced it with a soft material like lipid (fat),

it would be much less likely to support a heavy person, " he said.

 

While " calcification " (from anti-acid supplements and excessive

calcium supplementation, i.e. Tums etc.) may suggest a more

extensive form of heart disease,

it appears to be less likely to lead to heart attack, according to

the report published in the February 27th issue of Circulation:

Journal of the American Heart Association.

 

The researchers examined the composition of artery plaque in 20

cadavers.

 

Half of lesions were ruptured at the time of death.

 

*Fatty* plaque appeared to cause more " stress " on artery lesions

and was up to 25%

less " stable " than *calcified* plaque, the report indicates.

 

" Our results demonstrate that within a typical lesion, the presence

of lesion lipid (fat) is much more important...than calcium, "

the study authors conclude.

 

http://www.vitamins-etc.com/study_description.asp?

khw6c=m00d1a828ou & x=33 & y=13

 

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