The cause of coronary heart disease is atherosclerosis, a fatty buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. Atherosclerosis can develop in different parts of the body, but when deposits occur in the arteries that supply blood to the heart, the condition is specifically called coronary atherosclerosis. As the buildup grows, the artery narrows and the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle is reduced.

Plaque is the hallmark of coronary atherosclerosis. It forms as more and more cholesterol is deposited in the arteries. A simple plaque can grow into a complicated one when calcium accumulates and hardens the plaque and when blood clots develop.

Cause of coronary heart disease
The food you eat can directly affect your chances of having coronary heart disease,
as cholesterol is a major controllable factor.

Clots are a particularly feared complication; if fibrous plaque tears or ruptures, heavy bleeding occurs. This causes a local clot called a thrombus, which can obstruct the artery and cause a heart attack.

During a heart attack, the blood supply is cut off from a portion of the heart muscle, and that area of the heart dies. If enough of the heart is affected, or if the heart begins to beat rapidly and uncontrollably (called arrhythmia), the victim can die. In other cases, when the plaque develops slowly and doesn’t tear or rupture, it can result in angina (discomfort in the chest or chest pain).

One of the major controllable risk factors for atherosclerosis, and thus coronary heart disease, is an elevated level of cholesterol in the blood. (Smoking and high blood pressure are the other major controllable risk factors.)

A high level of blood cholesterol plays a role in the narrowing of arteries. Moreover, the amount of cholesterol in your blood and the way your body handles that cholesterol are greatly affected by your diet. Your decisions with regard to the foods you eat and the cooking methods you use can help to either bring your blood-cholesterol levels into a desirable range or elevate them.

With the information in this article, you will understood exactly why those dietary decisions are so important.

For more information on coronary heart disease, see:

  • How Cholesterol Works: Cholesterol is essential to the body. Find out why we need it and how much is too much.
  • Diagnosing Coronary Heart Disease: Doctors take several factors into account to diagnose coronary heart disease. Learn what tests are used, and how to interpret the results.
  • Risk Factors of Coronary Heart Disease: Extensive research has gone into determining the risk factors for heart disease. Learn what they are, and whether you have any.
  • Coronary Heart Disease: This condition is the culmination of years of plaque buildup in the arteries. Find out how to prevent it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Neil Stone is a professor of clinical medicine in cardiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University and a practicing internist-cardiologist-lipidologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He also serves as the Medical Director of the Vascular Center for the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Stone was a member of the first and third National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panels and a past chairman of the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee and Clinical Affairs Committee.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.