4/26/2011 PERMALINK
The plaques that clog your arteries form quickly and late in life. In a new study performed in humans, researchers from Karolinska Institutet have determined the age of atherosclerotic plaques by taking advantage of Carbon-14 (14C) residues in the atmosphere, prevailing after the extensive atomic bomb tests in the 50ties and 60ties. Their findings suggest that in most people plaque formation occurs during a relatively short and late time period in life of just 3 to 5 years. "We suspected that the plaque would be substantially younger than the patients, who were on average were 68 years old at surgery, but we were surprised when we found that the average age of these plaques was less than 10 years", says Associate Professor Johan Bjorkegren, who lead the study at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics.