Simon Hill's Heart Scan Results: Plant-Based Diet, Cholesterol, and Early CVD Risk

Personal Journey with Heart Disease Risk

• 💔 Simon Hill shares his personal experience with cardiovascular disease (CVD) after his father had a heart attack at age 41.
• 💡 This experience motivated him to pursue physiotherapy and a Master's in nutrition science to understand how diet and lifestyle can prevent disease.
• 🧬 Despite a healthy plant-based diet, Simon discovered early signs of heart disease, prompting a decision about early drug treatment.

Understanding Atherosclerosis and Risk Factors

• 📈 Atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in arteries, can begin in infancy and is a cumulative process influenced by factors like LDL cholesterol exposure.
• 📊 Simon's LDL cholesterol was high in his 20s (around 130mg/dL) due to a diet high in animal protein and fats, despite not having other typical risk factors.
• 🔬 He underwent CT angiogram and coronary artery calcium scans at age 39 to assess his arterial health due to a strong family history of heart disease.

Interpreting Scan Results and Treatment Decisions

• ⚠️ Simon's scans revealed subclinical atherosclerosis with a minor plaque buildup (61mm cubed), which is considered very minor but prompted further investigation into progression.
• 🤔 He faces a decision: start lipid-lowering medication immediately or wait and re-scan in 8-12 months to monitor plaque progression with his current lifestyle.
• 🔬 The keto CTA study showed an average plaque progression of 35mm cubed in one year for participants with high cholesterol, highlighting the potential for rapid buildup.

Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Health

• 🥑 Simon advocates for a diet rich in unprocessed foods, with a bias towards unsaturated fats, plant protein, and high fiber.
• 🐟 He emphasizes swapping saturated fats (from fatty meats and butter) for polyunsaturated fats (from fatty fish, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds) to improve LDL cholesterol levels.
• 🍳 The absorption of dietary cholesterol varies; about 20% of people are