Heart attacks are a leading cause of  death in the United States and throughout various parts of the world.  For many years physicians thought heart attacks were the consequence of a gradual narrowing of important vessels until blood could no longer pass through. Recent  studies are beginning to prove that theory wrong. Scientists have discovered that it was not a hardened narrowing of a vessel that caused these problems, but a soft plaque in the wall of the vessel that can suddenly rupture. The soft plaque that is prone to rupture is also known as vulnerable plaque. Contact your doctor for more information about vulnerable plaque and what you can do to help prevent it.