Cardiac CT scan...score improved

[GaJoe]

hate break it to you it didn't reduce it was the difference in scan, reader

Perhaps....it was the same exact machine and you could chalk it up to a different Dr. interpretation, but the fact that it didn't increase tells me I'm headed in the right direction. I'll be more diligent, wait another year or two, and see if the trend continues.

 

[GaJoe]

Ya i used koncentrated K https://amzn.to/3PfMbxt designed by pat theut who has a decent amount of interviews online going over the ins and outs of it all. 1 pill in the AM 1 in the PM for 1 exact year on top of coming off everything and basically being natty with a <500ng/dl total test during that time, Feb 2022 to Feb 2023. Was also on 80mg telmi/25mg HCTZ as well as 5mg rosuvastatin daily that whole time and still take all these today.

Something worth noting though is the calcium score doesn’t really mean shit unfortunately. Vit K goes into everywhere that calcium doesn’t belong and takes it to our teeth and bones. There are plenty of people with 0 calcium scores that still have heart attacks and strokes from 100% blockage because the ct only picks up calcified bits. The real test that we need to be doing is the CCTA. They inject us with dye and then MRI the heart to find how much soft and hard plaque there is and what percentage of blockage you have in your arteries.

Unfortunately this test is expensive as fuck compared to the CT scan.. 10x expensive at $2k. I’ve got mine scheduled for the 11th and it comes with its own set of complications, number 1 you need to have a BMI under 39.. which for me at 5’10 means i have to be 270 or less. The other thing is you have to have your heart rate consistently under 65 while they are doing the scan otherwise the images will be blurred. This is going to be a problem for a lot of us. Mine hits 60 while i sleep… awake the lowest it goes is 70. I went in to get this scan a week ago and even on a mild beta blocker I wasn’t low enough averaging about 67-68 with some short stints under 65.

The company that evaluates these was already mentioned in here by someone else, Cleerly, and you can get it all set up through Heartbeat Health. They prescribe you a few beta blockers for the test to take, so when they found out i didn’t get low enough they rescheduled the test and prescribed me a stronger dose of beta blocker. I’m also really getting on top of my cardio and diet to do what i can to bring my resting heart rate down more cause I really want to get this thing done.

@ChaseIrons were you able to get the heart rate down and get the test?

 

[Fleezy]

Perhaps....it was the same exact machine and you could chalk it up to a different Dr. interpretation, but the fact that it didn't increase tells me I'm headed in the right direction. I'll be more diligent, wait another year or two, and see if the trend continues.

So what does happen when large amounts of these deposits end up in your arteries?

Do we just get stents and call it a day?

 

[marssel]

Follow up from a post/discussion a few years ago. I decided it was time to check up on the progression of plaque revealed in my last CT score 2 years ago. At that time, I scored 105. I just got the results from this scan and I'm now at 72.

Since then, I downsized 20ish lbs and stay between 280-285 or so, keep cardio in more consistently, followed @DOGGCRAPP supplement suggestions not perfectly, KEPT BLOOD PRESSURE IN CHECK, kept lipids in check, very clean eating, continued progressive training styles, HGH was used and TRT is constant @ 140 mg/wk, couple blasts of test/decca during those times.

Will follow up with another stress test just to be sure everything is still looking good. I'd love to keep this trend going.

Anyone else experienced a reduction in their scores?

How old and how heavy were you for that first scan? I know you hope for zero but is 105 actually high or just not zero? I take tumeric all day everyday supposedly that helps with plaque, I dunno. Obviously cardio is huge and BP being not high is good I just always felt outside a terrible diet genetics was still the main player but that’s my thoughts I’m now cardiac genius. Great to see that it can go down AND yours did I’m a lil over 285 rn myself.

 

[marssel]

@ChaseIrons were you able to get the heart rate down and get the test?

65 is pretty low HR when I was 156 lbs I was in the 50s but ever since weights not roids but weights my resting HR is in the 70s but I guess a valium and a bb woukd drop it. If you’ve never taken a bb like myself how does it feel, oddly they scare me, no reason as to why I just always afraid of taking them.

 

[ChaseIrons]

@ChaseIrons were you able to get the heart rate down and get the test?

Lol fuck no.. so i have the recommendation to use anytime in the next year so I’ll schedule it when I’m cutting. My rhr has been 50 at 250 before so i just gotta go harder on the cardio and eat less for a bit

 

[marssel]

Lol fuck no.. so i have the recommendation to use anytime in the next year so I’ll schedule it when I’m cutting. My rhr has been 50 at 250 before so i just gotta go harder on the cardio and eat less for a bit

You think fasting for a day or two prior would take a good load of your heart too, maybe….

 

[ChaseIrons]

You think fasting for a day or two prior would take a good load of your heart too, maybe….

I don’t have enough semaglutide to pull that off. I’m not concerned. It’s paid for and on my list of things to do. It can wait. If i die before i get it…. Well…. Whoopsie

 

[bbxtreme]

So what does happen when large amounts of these deposits end up in your arteries?

Do we just get stents and call it a day?

Generally once an artery is 70% blocked or more they will aim to stent the area if they can.

If more than two arteries are blocked they will likely suggest bypass surgery and may either way if it’s the LAD as many cardiologist don’t like stenting it.

It’s really not a scenario anyone should want to end up in. Especially as a bodybuilder. This is why it’s so important to keep on top of preventative testing.

 

[Fleezy]

It’s really not a scenario anyone should want to end up in. Especially as a bodybuilder.

why not tho?

 

[bbxtreme]

why not tho?

I’m assuming this is not a serious question.

I mean I’m not sure anyone wants to have a heart attack or damaged arteries. But of all people, bodybuilders walking around taking gear, carrying excess muscle and lifting heavy ass weights in the gym.

 

[alfresco]

Just got my test score back today.

Disappointed.

11.

Was 0, 15 years ago.

 

[bbxtreme]

Just got my test score back today.

Disappointed.

11.

Was 0, 15 years ago.

11 is still low and could have drastically gone up over 15 years. We all strive for 0, but wouldn’t chalk this up as a huge negative if your echo and CPET test are good along with bloodwork.

 

[NEMSZ]

Just got my test score back today.

Disappointed.

11.

Was 0, 15 years ago.

Don’t be… I’m 33 and had a score of 15… I was super disappointed and devastated.. Got insane hypochondria and thought I was going to die at any minute lol…

Good thing my doc is very progressive and all about preventative measures.. Given the lifestyle I had through my 20’s (lots of partying, drug/alcohol use, bad food, bad sleep etc) it would’ve been a pretty nice surprise to have been clean as a whistle throughout my body.. My Echos and blood work have been spot on since I got sober and started taking my health seriously 6 years ago, have nothing to say what they looked like the years prior as I never got checked..

ApoB always around 70 or below, trigs as low as 60, LDL always around 70 as well.. CRP was always in the optimal range (*<0.003 if I remember correctly), fasting insulin is around a 3 as well.. Always take my health supps and been on Natto, Vascepa 2-3g per day, Curcumin etc for a few years now.. I do tons of cardio now with my BJJ/Wrestling and I eat pretty healthy with the occasional sweets as a Vice..

Im planning to do the same CCTA test Chase was going to JUST IN CASE in the next few months.

My doctor assured me she’s seen people with much higher scores live long and healthy lives with healthy lifestyle changes/interventions and supplementations.. Also the fact that you can have a high score and zero soft plaque and a 0 score and tons of soft plaque, but that given my healthy lifestyle and my bloodwork and supplementation she wasn’t too concerned about it (going by her 25 years experience and what’s she’s seen anecdotally) and wasn’t in a hurry to get more in depth testing but fully supports it for peace of mind..

She did also say that she’s a firm believer that healthy lifestyle and supplements can reverse CT Scores and they’re not a permanent thing like was once believed. She also mentioned it’s very possible my score could’ve been higher back when I was doing what I was doing but with years of lifestyle and health changes it could’ve gone back down significantly…

All in all, I’d still like to see that 0 on the next score, and I’ll be doing the CCTA test hoping to see absolutely nothing on there either..

 

[Reno911]

Just got my test score back today.

Disappointed.

11.

Was 0, 15 years ago.

As NEMSZ stated, go and get the CT Angiogram. It will give you a better idea. Remember there is a 10 year lag on the soft plaque so the Calcium Scan doesn't pick that up as calcified material for 10 years. So when you had your 0 score you most likely had some soft plaque there.

Hit the high dose K2 and look into a functional MD in your area that does EDTA chelation therapy.

 

[nothuman]

Just got my test score back today.

Disappointed.

11.

Was 0, 15 years ago.

11 is good for your age bracket. If it only went up that little in 15 years, that should be a victory. Don’t lose sleep over it!

 

[nothuman]

The best way to prevent atherosclerosis is to drive down that ApoB number as low as possible!

 

[alfresco]

The best way to prevent atherosclerosis is to drive down that ApoB number as low as possible!

So it is reversible.

And how do I go about doing that?

 

[nothuman]

So it is reversible.

And how do I go about doing that?

The things that have been shown to reverse it to my knowledge

Nattokinase at a dose of 10,800FU (2022 study). Minimum 6000FU could do it but 10,800FU is better.
Statins and/or Ezetimibe to lower ApoB/LDL (getting LDL below 30 has shown reversal)

Also PSCK9 inhibitors but they're more expensive and you can't get them underground.

And of course exercise, proper sleep, good nutrition

 

[Reno911]

Nattokinase at a dose of 10,800FU (2022 study).

This study is the carotid artery and not the coronaries but I would think there's definite overlap with both. When my dad died the autopsy showed "significant" blockage in his carotids and coronary arteries and he had previously had stents put in his femoral arteries. One can assume if the carotids or femorals are blocked the coronaries will be as well. That's why they do the less invasive/expensive CIMT testing.

Some key takeaways from that study:

"Co-administration of vitamin K2 and aspirin with NK produced a synergetic effect."

"The size of the plaque decreased by up to 36%, suggesting that NK is very effective in improving/reducing carotid atherosclerosis"

"We found that NK at 3,600 FU dose was not effective in lowering lipids and suppressing atherosclerosis."

"the lipid lowering and antiatherosclerotic effects of NK were better in participants who exercise more compared to those who exercised less."

Effective management of atherosclerosis progress and hyperlipidemia with nattokinase: A clinical study with 1,062 participants

Nattokinase (NK), known as a potent fibrinolytic and antithrombotic agent, has been shown to have antiatherosclerotic and lipid-lowering effects. However, data on human clinical studies are limited. In this clinical study involving 1,062 participants, ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov