Atherosclerosis is a disease of the body's arteries. When plaques of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances build up in our arteries, which carry oxygenated blood to the heart and other parts of the body, pathways to vital organs become narrowed or blocked: this is known as atherosclerosis. Just as plaque buildup on our teeth can lead to gingivitis, a gum disease, plaque buildup in our arteries can lead to atherosclerosis, but with our teeth we can usually see if there is plaque buildup simply by looking in the mirror. We cannot, however, see the inside of our arteries without the help of specialized imaging devices; therefore we generally need to monitor our arterial health based on blood pressure readings and laboratory results. Since we cannot easily see our arteries and cannot read our vital signs daily, it is important to do everything we can to prevent the disease atherosclerosis. Although there is a small chance that an individual will develop atherosclerosis due to their genes, many risk factors for the disease are controllable, including: smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and controlled diabetes. Atherosclerosis is also known. as "hardening of the arteries" and can lead to many complications, including: coronary heart disease, abnormal heart rhythm, chest pain, heart attack, peripheral arterial disease, kidney failure, stroke, or aneurysm. One of the best things a person What we can do to prevent atherosclerosis is to eat a healthy diet and create lifelong healthy eating habits. Diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol create more plaque, which increases the chances of it building up in the walls of the body's arteries. Animal products......middle of paper......rt attack. Because symptoms of atherosclerosis don't appear until damage has already been done, it's important to make healthy lifestyle changes while you still feel healthy. Eating a healthy diet is a great way to reduce your risk of developing atherosclerosis; other things you can do to reduce your risk of developing this disease are: stop smoking, exercise regularly, reduce stress in your life, see your primary care doctor for regular checkups, and, if you have diabetes, keep it under control . Some people also find acupuncture helpful in preventing atherosclerosis and may help reduce some risk factors. More importantly, eating a nutritious diet can help prevent the arterial disease of atherosclerosis by decreasing high cholesterol, high blood pressure and excess weight – three of the main risk factors for developing atherosclerosis..