Chronic stress, poor diet, and aging cause microscopic tears in your artery lining — inflammation damages the arterial walls and triggers your body's repair response.
LDL cholesterol, calcium, and cellular debris accumulate at the damaged areas where the artery wall is inflamed and weakened
Your body deposits fibrin protein to seal the damage, but this excessive fibrin traps the cholesterol debris and hardens into plaque over time.
As plaque builds up, your arteries lose their ability to produce nitric oxide - molecule that keeps vessels flexible. They become stiff and constricted. Blood flow decreases. Your heart has to work harder to keep blood moving
When a section of plaque cracks or ruptures, your blood instantly clots at the site - blocking the artery completely and cutting off oxygen to your heart or brain. Heart attack. Stroke. Cardiac arrest.