What causes coronary artery disease (CAD)?
$(document).ready(function() { $(‘#answerBodyFull_DEV__4c7ee8803d46f6_43167418 > .videoPlayer’).each(function(){ detectVideoType($(this).attr(“id”)); }); }); SCAI Answered: Coronary artery disease, or CAD, is caused by the build-up of fat and cholesterol in the arteries that supply blood to your heart. Arteries are flexible tubes that transport blood throughout your body. The deposits in the arteries are called plaques. As the plaques grow, in a disease process called atherosclerosis, portions of the artery become clogged and narrowed. If an artery is severely obstructed, it reduces blood flow to the heart and can cause chest pain (angina) or even a heart attack. But what causes plaque to build up in the arteries to begin with? Contributors to heart disease include any of the following: • aging • gender (men are at a higher risk younger; women catch up after menopause) • family history • smoking • diet (especially saturated and trans fats, which contain a lot of the “bad,” or LDL, chol
