Most people who get their annual physical nervously await the result of their cholesterol levels.  We have been conditioned by the mass media that high cholesterol is the gold standard for predicting risk for cardiovascular events such as a heart attack or a stroke.  However, most people would be surprised that50% of people who have a heart attack have normal cholesterol levels.  Conversely, there are many who have high cholesterol who live out their lives without any cardiac episode. 

Many cardiologists also use EKG’s, stress tests and angiograms to assess overall risk. These are useful, and we shouldn’t ignore the cholesterol markers either, but a coronary artery must narrow by 60% to show as a problem on a stress test and angiograms are invasive and very expensive (4,000.00).  Here are some newer techniques and tests that someone should consider if they or someone they love is concerned with their heart health or if a doctor has recommended taking a statin drug.