It’s the kind of headline that makes you pause: people with “perfect” cholesterol still ending up in the ER with heart attacks. Cornell-trained longevity expert Dr Vassily Eliopoulos called out the overreliance on standard cholesterol panels. In a viral Instagram post, he warned that the tests most people take for heart health are “totally outdated,” missing the real indicators of risk that can silently build up even in those who seem fit and healthy.
According to Dr Eliopoulos, nearly 60% of heart attacks happen in people whose cholesterol levels fall within the so-called normal range. He explained that CEOs, pro-athletes, investors, and seemingly “healthy” individuals are not immune because traditional lipid panels — the standard measure for decades — don’t tell the full story. The usual LDL numbers, he said, are just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
What really matters, he added, are advanced markers like ApoB, Lipoprotein(a) and inflammation indicators such as high-sensitivity CRP and oxidised LDL. ApoB, for instance, is the best predictor of plaque buildup. At the same time, Lipoprotein(a) is genetically high in about one in five people, and no amount of statins or medication can correct it. These factors, along with hidden inflammation, can quietly turn “good” cholesterol readings into a ticking time bomb.
The real game changer, he said, is the CCTA scan with Cleerly analysis, a test that doesn’t just crunch numbers but actually visualises the plaque clogging up arteries. “I’ve seen ultra-fit founders with six-pack abs, perfect cholesterol, and still silent, deadly plaque buildup,” Eliopoulos said, pointing out that the obsession with lowering LDL often distracts from the deeper problem. For him, prevention is not about chasing pretty lab numbers — it’s about uncovering the truth before it’s too late.
He went on to break down the right approach for those serious about heart health. Go beyond the basic lipid panel and focus on:
- ApoB, which counts the actual number of plaque-forming particles in the blood.
- Lp(a), a genetic marker that no statin can fix.
- hs-CRP and oxidised LDL, which expose inflammation and oxidative stress.
- CCTA (Cleerly Scan), the only test that shows the physical plaque instead of just guessing at risk.
Dr Eliopoulos called this deeper testing the secret of “high performers” who refuse to settle for “your labs look fine.” They demand a real understanding of what’s happening inside their arteries, not just reassurance from surface-level numbers. Because, as he put it, prevention isn’t about lowering numbers — it’s about reversing real risk before it becomes irreversible.
According to Dr Eliopoulos, nearly 60% of heart attacks happen in people whose cholesterol levels fall within the so-called normal range. He explained that CEOs, pro-athletes, investors, and seemingly “healthy” individuals are not immune because traditional lipid panels — the standard measure for decades — don’t tell the full story. The usual LDL numbers, he said, are just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
What really matters, he added, are advanced markers like ApoB, Lipoprotein(a) and inflammation indicators such as high-sensitivity CRP and oxidised LDL. ApoB, for instance, is the best predictor of plaque buildup. At the same time, Lipoprotein(a) is genetically high in about one in five people, and no amount of statins or medication can correct it. These factors, along with hidden inflammation, can quietly turn “good” cholesterol readings into a ticking time bomb.
The real game changer, he said, is the CCTA scan with Cleerly analysis, a test that doesn’t just crunch numbers but actually visualises the plaque clogging up arteries. “I’ve seen ultra-fit founders with six-pack abs, perfect cholesterol, and still silent, deadly plaque buildup,” Eliopoulos said, pointing out that the obsession with lowering LDL often distracts from the deeper problem. For him, prevention is not about chasing pretty lab numbers — it’s about uncovering the truth before it’s too late.
He went on to break down the right approach for those serious about heart health. Go beyond the basic lipid panel and focus on:
- ApoB, which counts the actual number of plaque-forming particles in the blood.
- Lp(a), a genetic marker that no statin can fix.
- hs-CRP and oxidised LDL, which expose inflammation and oxidative stress.
- CCTA (Cleerly Scan), the only test that shows the physical plaque instead of just guessing at risk.
Dr Eliopoulos called this deeper testing the secret of “high performers” who refuse to settle for “your labs look fine.” They demand a real understanding of what’s happening inside their arteries, not just reassurance from surface-level numbers. Because, as he put it, prevention isn’t about lowering numbers — it’s about reversing real risk before it becomes irreversible.
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