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Living with high calcium score
I am a 53 year old male. Just found out I have a CAC of 731. Most of it (699) is in the right coronary. I exercise 5 times a week , used to eat eggs every day (15-20 per week), cottage cheese and yogurt. Upon hearing this news, stopped eating eggs right away. Just trying to figure out what else to adjust. I don't have BP and am at a healthy weight of around 160 lbs for 5'8".
Doctor still has to reach out to me and I think most likely I will be put on Statins. I have high LDL and Apo(b), but triglycerides are under control.
The question I have is, how else should I adjust the lifestyle. I don't drink or smoke or eat meat. Should I reduce how hard I work out? I used to take my HR to 165 and whenever I did it I used to get a heartburn. I was thinking that the workout has triggered acid reflux but looks like something else is going on.
For those with high CAC , how hard do you work out? Should I stop hiking and running? Looking for some insights.
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My understanding is following a healthy diet ie mediterrian diet , exercise with cardio 150 min per week , take stains and any other prescribed diet and you can stop the progression of the calcium .
Thoughts ?
Cardiologist said this doesn’t cause this . It just can cause high blood levels of calcium but not Calcium in arteries
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If you have high calcium levels get your parathyroids glands checked.
Thank you so much for that
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1 ReactionAngiogram has risk including blood clot.
Following is a response I found here from a cardiologist.
“ I am a cardiologist and got my calcium score just casually as I was giving a seminar on it to local drs some four years ago. It came 746! No symptoms, no risk factors, marathoner. Got stress nuclear tested. Just on statins/ aspirin. As an interventional cardiologist myself, I see most patients of heart attack have soft non calcified lesions. Moreover statins tend to increase the calcium score. So you know that it’s not as simple!
I don’t think it needs to be ever repeated. Just avoid over thinking and over treatment. “
I hope this will give a piece of mind.
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1 ReactionThank you for that .
Many have said why wouldn’t they do an angiogram . It’s a diagnostic peace of mind
In mid- to long-term follow-up, statin therapy increases the CAC score as documented by serial non-contrast cardiac CT, suggesting that the plaque-stabilizing effect of statins may be reflected in a higher CAC score [8,9].
I agree with your cardiologist, no need for angiogram.
Don’t go for calcium score test again , statins increase calcium score .
I was thinking the same...those high scores scream parathyroid.
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1 ReactionCardiologist recommend Mediterranean diet and 150 min of cardio per week .
My CAC Score went from 378 to 798 in 4 years. I am 79 but no heart symptoms, am active and overall very healthy. Passed two stress tests with flying colors. Then had them test me for Lipoprotein (a) [Lp a] and it was over the roof high at 283 nmol/L. Luckily, my high sensitive CRP is very low which says low inflammation so that is helpful to lower my risks. I take a lot of supplements and have a strong immune system. You might want to get your Lp a tested. The two together is very high risks but there are diet and lifestyle changes that look attractive until an FDA approved medicine is available; probably not until 2026.