Coronary calcification treatment options Diet (especially to limit cholesterol, fats, and sodium), exercise, stop smoking, avoid alcohol, lose weight. Calcium deposits in the arteries are not related to diet or to any supplements you are taking. They are produced because blood vessel cells don't work as they should. They may be a sign of heart disease or simply of getting older.
So what can you do if you're told you have calcified arteries? First, take any medications your doctor has prescribed. This is very important if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or kidney failure, as these conditions can accelerate the buildup of plaque and calcium in your arteries. Exercising and eating a healthy diet will help keep your arteries healthy. The calcium score is based on the presence and degree of calcification seen on the CT images of the four main arteries of the heart and of the carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain.
This is a type of X-ray that can show the amount of calcium that has built up in the heart's blood vessels. Participants underwent cardiac CT scans to measure the presence and amount of calcium accumulated within the heart's arteries. Many experts believe that calcium accumulates on pre-existing fatty plaque as a way to contain and stabilize small fat particles so that they don't come off and cause heart attacks and strokes. This simple, non-invasive test uses a CT scan to measure the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries.
Specifically, the researchers found that men with a large accumulation of calcium in their arteries, even when they had no symptoms of heart disease, were 43 percent more likely to have erectile dysfunction years later. Although calcium deposits indicate hardening and narrowing of arteries, how and why it builds up inside blood vessels is not fully understood. This is important because the amount of calcium in your arteries is one of the most important indicators of the risk of having a heart attack in the future. However, research showed that high amounts of calcium buildup, defined as a score of 100 or more, were the most accurate predictor of erection problems years later.
Patients who follow a heart-healthy diet and do not accumulate calcium in their coronary arteries have demonstrated a lower risk of stroke, even if they have other problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Calcium deposits in the arteries can only jeopardize normal blood flow if they partially or completely block the affected artery. Researchers can't find the exact cause of calcium deposits in the arteries, but they have concluded that certain factors are the primary cause. The presence of calcium deposits in the heart's arteries has recently become a powerful predictor of the risk of cardiovascular disease, but new research from Johns Hopkins University suggests that these calcium plaques could cause greater problems.
However, many experts believe that calcium accumulates within blood vessels over many years as a byproduct of aging and blood vessel damage, Handy says.
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