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.
