Is your calcium score telling the full story of your heart health? Dr. Regina Druz unpacks what a coronary artery calcium score really means, how it relates to vascular age, and why even a seemingly low score can signal long-term risks.

Starting with a quick story of three men on a golf course comparing their calcium scores, Dr. Druz illustrates how numbers like 75, 220, or 3000 can mean very different things depending on age and overall health. Using insights from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, she explains how to assess whether your arteries are aging faster than you, and what that means for your heart.

The episode also tackles the role of cholesterol and the impact of statins in slowing, but not reversing, atherosclerosis. Dr. Druz points out a comprehensive approach to heart health, combining lifestyle changes, medication when necessary, and tools like the MESA calculator to track risk over time.

Dr. Druz encourages listeners to take control of their heart health, advocate for themselves, and use available resources to make informed decisions. Are you wondering, “How high is my calcium score, and what does it mean for me?” This episode has the answers.

Quotes

• “For you to own your heart health, you have to advocate for yourself and use some of the tools that were initially meant to be practitioner focused, but use it for yourself.” (05:18 | Dr. Regina Druz)
• “What is the coronary age? It’s simply an age at which an average healthy individual has the same calcium score that a person of interest has.” (12:56 | Dr. Regina Druz)
• “Accelerated atherosclerosis is essentially the aging of the arteries. Are your arteries aging faster than you? And for many patients, this actually is the case.” (26:22 | Dr. Regina Druz)
• “Once a person has plaques in their arteries, whether it's coronary arteries or carotid arteries, we can certainly help them to slow down the progression and cause a regression, but we can’t completely reverse them.” (30:47 | Dr. Regina Druz)

Links

MESA Coronary Age Calculator: https://internal.mesa-nhlbi.org/about/procedures/tools/mesa-score-risk-calculator

Holistic Heart University Guest Access: https://holisticheartcenters.info/visit

Schedule a Discovery Call: https://go.holisticheartcenters.com/apply

Access Courses and Events: https://holisticheartcenters.info/hearthealth

Get Heartwell Toolkits: https://shop.holisticheartcenters.com/

Schedule a Business Meeting:https://calendly.com/heartcenters

Connect with Dr. Regina Druz:

Website: http://holisticheartcenters.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reginadruzmd

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.reginadruz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holisticheartcenters

Twitter: https://x.com/heartCenters

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm