There's a relatively new concept for dyslipidemia regarding how long the LDL cholesterol has been elevated. If you take your age times your LDL cholesterol and that value is over 5,000, you are at increased risk of atherosclerosis. Somebody's developed the calculator that will show you the benefits of interventions for lowering lipoproteins. You can also enter historical information about previous LDL cholesterol to get a better measurement. This is akin to pack years of cigarettes. If you smoke one pack of cigarettes one time, that's probably not an issue, but if you smoke one pack of cigarettes daily for 40 years, you'll probably have COPD and heart disease. https://plaqueyears.com/

Sorry about the audio at the end of the hour I will have Plaud process the audio and provide the summary

Ask Me Anything - November 2, 2026 - 5pm CST If you are not able to attend LIVE and want to ask a question then please leave it in the comments below and will be discussed during the event

1. A high calcium score in your 30s and 40s predicts death decades later In a JAMA Cardiology analysis of 12,847 adults aged 30–45, a coronary calcium score in the top 10% for age was linked to 2.6x the risk of cardiovascular death and 3.7x the risk of coronary death over about 22 years, compared with a score of zero. Modeled 30-year coronary mortality was 3.0% vs 0.6%. Takeaway: if you're young and your calcium score is high for your age, that's a reason to act early, not a reason to wait. Read it 2. Vaping may dull your blood vessels' ability to relax, even in healthy young adults A JAMA Cardiology lab study compared 58 healthy adults (average age 26). Daily nicotine vapers had lower flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how well the vessel lining (the endothelium) widens when blood flow increases, than non-users: 5.5% vs 8.3%. Their peak fitness was also lower. Their vessel function was close to the cigarette smokers' (4.4%). Takeaway: the endothelium is one of the earliest places cardiovascular damage shows up, so "healthy and young" isn't a free pass. This was small (17 vapers), a single snapshot in time, and can't prove cause and effect. Outside experts have cautioned against over-reading it, and other evidence suggests smokers who switch to vaping see improved vessel function. Still, the message holds: if you don't smoke, don't start vaping. Read it | TCTMD coverage 3. A rising calcium score on a statin may mean healing, not failure In the CAUGHT-CAD analysis (JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 338 people followed 3 years), statin treatment shifted plaque toward denser, more stable calcium while the softer, riskier plaque shrank, most of all with LDL-C lowering of 30% or more. Takeaway: don't panic if your CAC number climbs after starting a statin. The type of plaque matters as much as the score. Read it

Hi, when are the live skool get togethers? I listened to last weeks but don't see how to actually join. I am a member. The live instagram isn't that great because it only lets me type so much so it's a very disjointed way to communicate my questions. Thank you, Loraine