John OsborneChief Medical Officer, ClearCardio LLC · Preventive cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer at ClearCardio

What Your Doctor Didn't Tell You About Your Calcium Score

4 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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0:39

In this brief segment, the speaker emphasizes that any non‑zero coronary artery calcium (CAC) score indicates the presence of calcified plaque. He clarifies that a calcium score cannot reveal arterial blockages or the softer, lipid‑rich plaque that is often the most dangerous, because the test only visualizes calcium. He also debunks the common misconception that a “low” calcium score is benign, stating that there is no such thing as a low positive score—only a zero score means no detectable plaque. The overall message is a cautionary reinterpretation of CAC results, urging viewers to understand the test’s limitations and the significance of any positive value.

Chapters

If you have a positive calcium score, my friend, you have plaque. With a calcium score, I can't see blockages, right? You could have blockages. It could be all on the wall. No idea. More importantly, I can't see the lipid-rich plaque, the lava, the softer cholesterol-rich plaque. Is that what kills you? That is invisible. It's a calcium score. All I can see is calcium. The other mistake that I find, unfortunately, all the time is that people get a calcium score, And they'll get the results back and they'll say it's low. There's no such thing as low. It's either zero or you have plaque. If you have a positive calcium score, my friend, you have plaque.