Heart Disease is the number one killer among Americans. LipoScience, a Raleigh-based company, has developed a new blood test called NMR Lipoprofile that can more accurately predict a person's risk of heart disease. Cholesterol tests are the standard method to identify risk, but half of all people who have heart attacks had normal cholesterol.
Supported by the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Cardiology, the NMR Lipoprofile is a new type of blood test that more accurately measures risk by using a nuclear magnetic resonance to count low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which carry cholesterol throughout the body via the bloodstream.
According to LipoScience, LDL particles travel into the artery wall, where they deposit their cholesterol, which forms plaque. Over time, the plaque can build up and block the flow of blood to the heart.