The effect of blood viscosity explains why atherosclerotic plaques are found almost exclusively at the bifurcations of large arteries in the neck, around the heart, and in the large arteries of the legs. High iron levels have been thought to be a key factor in plaque development, but if that were the case, one would expect to see atherosclerotic plaques developing uniformly throughout the body. However, even blood at systole can be more viscous than optimal, and this plays an important role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques. Blood at diastole can be anywhere from 5 to 20 times as viscous as the same blood at systole. Therefore, blood viscosity fluctuates with every heartbeat, from lesser to greater and back. At the other end of the cardiac cycle – systole – blood flows more rapidly, resulting in dispersion of blood components and decreased viscosity. During slow flow, aggregation of platelets and intermolecular reactions between plasma and cellular components further contribute to increasing viscosity. These clinging red blood cells make the blood more viscous.
During diastole, slower-moving red blood cells cling together more easily and can even form rouleaux, structures that look like stacks of coins under a microscope. While water is no thicker in a still pond than in a fast-running stream, blood actually thickens as it slows down. Blood is not the same thickness and stickiness – or viscosity – at all times.
To understand blood viscosity and how it affects the arterial walls, it is useful to understand the physics involved in fluids. There are effective natural treatments that can alter blood viscosity safely, preserving health and potentially saving lives. Understanding blood viscosity and how it contributes to the development of atherosclerotic plaques and thrombosis, how to test for it, and how to treat it are essential to our practices as primary care physicians. Blood viscosity is the common factor ties all these factors together.īlood viscosity – a measurement of the thickness and stickiness of an individual's blood – is associated with each of those risk factors, either as a contributor or an effect. It has been associated with nearly 300 independent risk factors, among them high LDL, low HDL, male gender, smoking, obesity, insulin resistance, sedentary lifestyle, age, and hypertension. Despite decades of treatments to lower cholesterol, regulate heart rhythms, and reduce salt and fat, cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer of adults in the industrialized world.
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