Episode
#292 - Cardiac Imaging Explained: Why You Need a Calcium Score to Know Your Real Heart Risk | Dr. Matthew Budoff & Mike Haney
- Podcast
- LEVELS – A Whole New Level
- Published
- Feb 15, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3232
- Processing state
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Summary
Heart disease risk isn’t just about cholesterol. In this episode of A Whole New Level , Dr. Matthew Budoff explains why coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring may be the most important test most people aren’t getting—and why imaging your arteries directly can reveal risk that blood tests alone can miss. Drawing on decades of research and data from the landmark MESA study, Dr. Budoff explains how calcium scoring predicts real cardiovascular events, how plaque actually forms and progresses, and why some people with high cholesterol never develop plaque—while others with “normal” labs do. This episode focuses on how to measure your actual cardiovascular risk , not just estimate it. Sign Up to Get Your Free Ultimate Guide to Glucose: https://levels.link/wnl In this episode, we cover: Why CAC scoring is one of the strongest predictors of future heart events Why cholesterol is critical—but only explains about half of heart disease risk Why some people with very high LDL have zero plaque—and others with normal labs have dangerous plaque Why CAC is best understood as the “tip of the iceberg” of total plaque burden When to escalate to CT angiography and advanced imaging How plaque regression is possible—and what interventions actually drive it The future of cardiac risk prediction: Lp(a), inflammation, and AI-driven plaque analysis This conversation reframes heart risk around what’s actually happening inside your arteries—not just what shows up in bloodwork. 🎙 What Dr. Matthew Budoff & Mike Haney discuss: [01:35] — Coronary calcium is the strongest predictor of heart events [02:38] — What a high calcium score actually means for risk [04:00] — Why rising calcium is not “healing.” [11:07] — The role of fat tissue and inflammation in plaque formation [16:37] — Why do many peop…