Over the years, if we don't take care of our bodies, our blood vessels can start to lose their resiliency and plaque can start to build up in our arteries. Plaque is composed of cholesterol, inflammatory (immune) cells, calcium, and other substances that flow through our bloodstreams. Plaque buildup occurs if we eat high-fat diets, don't get enough exercise, are overweight or diets too high in refined carbohydrates, smoke, or have other unhealthy habits.

Plaques may rupture and form a clot, termed a thrombus. If the thrombus breaks off and travels through the bloodstream, it's called an embolus. Thrombi and emboli may completely block blood supply through an artery, causing heart attack or stroke.

Compounding the problem of plaque buildup, the narrowing of the arteries increases the blood pressure inside them. This prompts the arteries to stiffen their walls as a defense against the increased blood pressure. The presence of inflammatory cells also causes the vessel walls to thicken with collagen. This narrowing and stiffening of the arteries is called atherosclerosis, and it's the leading cause of death in most of the developed world for both women and men.

Plaque buildup can even begin in youth. Studies have found that teenagers can develop well-established fatty streaks (the precursors to plaque) in their coronary artery walls, and that even children as young as 10 can have the artery-narrowing plaque that may lead to heart attacks and strokes. Children with high blood cholesterol are likely to remain at risk of elevated blood cholesterol as they grow older.

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