While high cholesterol can be an indicator of people who are at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack, not all people who have a cardiac episode exhibit cut-and-dry symptoms or warning signs.
However, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are suggesting that there is a blood test that can identify people who are at risk from suffering a heart attack regardless of their previous medical history or do not have high cholesterol.
David Harrell, one of the researchers in the study, suggested there was a need for a new test as more than 250,000 people who have normal cholesterol die of heart attacks. Researchers found that a blood test that measured the levels of gamma-prime fibrinogen is a better indicator for a patients risk of a heart attack.
After analyzing more than 3,400 blood samples for gamma-prime fibrinogen levels, Farrell and his team were able to confirm the effectiveness of predicting the risk of a heart attack with the test.
One way that individuals may be able to reduce the risk of a heart attack is by cutting out foods that are high in cholesterol and adopting an alkaline diet.