This is not a treatise on the subject. However, it contains accurate, basic information every one of you should know. Your blood cholesterol level is the major predictor of heart attacks. The higher your blood cholesterol, the greater your risk. Cardiovascular disease kills one million Americans every year.
Arteries become narrower andnarrower, much as old water pipes build up scaly mineral deposits.
Eventually, one of two things happens. A clot in the bloodstream reaches a constricted artery, seals off the flow of blood, and provokes a heart attack. Or, more commonly, the deposits themselves become so big that they close off the artery's flow. The heart is starved for oxygen and its ability to pump blood to the body is impaired. A heart attack has occurred, causing permanent damage to the heart, and perhaps death.